Darkness and Light: Between Two Worlds
by superkeeleybro
Summary: After saving the world the first time, Ben, a Mudkip who was actually a human, was taken back to his own world. Something ancient is stirring in the pokemon mystery dungeon world, and even if Ben returns, it may not be enough.
1. Prologue: An Ancient Tale

**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Fanfic:**

**Darkness and Light: Between Two Worlds**

**By: Superkeeleybro**

Author's Notes:

This is my first fanfic that I have been writing. It is a follow up to some of the events of pokemon mystery dungeon and takes place some time later. I also have been posting it on the Nintendo forums, but decided to bring it here as well. Please give comments or reviews as you please.

Prologue: An Ancient Tale

The world of pokemon holds many mysteries and legends, which give rise to the stories passed down through time. Legendary pokemon, remembered for their power become obscured in myth as time progresses onward, and new generations arise.

North of pokemon square, in a pond, lives an old collector of these stories whose name is Whiscash. One day he decided to tell one of the oldest and obscure of these tales: the tale of darkness and light.

Whiscash began: "In ancient times, the many legendary pokemon roamed the land, unleashing their powers and influencing the shaping of the lands. One of these mighty pokemon, using the powers of darkness and mind control, could control any pokemon it defeated. Using these powers, this dark pokemon slowly amassed control over many others, creating an army of darkness. Pokemon controlled by this demon also gained a part of its dark powers, becoming corrupted versions of their former selves. This corrupt army spread over the land, becoming so powerful, even the other legendary pokemon could not stand before it, and instead fled to their domains, where they could defend against this evil.

A siege of the domains of the legendary pokemon commenced, night and day, slowly wearying them, until the ones with less strength also fell. As darkness engulfed the world and hope seemed to diminish as stronger and stronger pokemon fell to this horde, there arose another legend to turn the tide. A bringer of light, able to dispel this darkness over the minds of the other pokemon, fought valiantly and restored many from their corrupted state. Those restored to their proper mind helped defeat and restore their fellow pokemon, and soon the only battle remaining was between the light bringer and the demon.

The two opposing pokemon, both cunning and strong, battled for many hours. Night and day seemed to collide as both their powers clashed. Both their strengths slowly drained and the light bringer knew he could not entirely defeat the demon and its darkness. The only way to stop this was to seal away the darkness. The light bringer used all his power to create a seal that should not be broken by any power possessed by any in the world, but to make this seal required he also stay in a state of meditation to maintain it. The seal was raised, trapping the darkness inside a deep cavern. The light bringer, remaining in a state of rest and meditation to maintain the barrier, was taken to a shrine created by those it had freed from the darkness. The shrine was placed in a sheltered vale, high on a mountain. At first, many visited and remembered the deeds of the light bringer, but as the years passed, the tale was all but forgotten."

The audience for Whiscash's story thanked him for the tale. Dismissing it as legend, they contentedly went back to their homes as the sun was setting.


	2. Chapter 1: Strange Items and Dreams

Chapter 1: Strange Items and Dreams

Something seemed missing. One year ago, I had awoken to find several strange objects next to my bed. The first was a miniature scarf. Strains, dirt, and burns all showed that this scarf had been through a harsh journey. On it was written "Rescue Team Saviors". The second mysterious item was a small emblem. A small platinum oval, with two white wing-like extensions formed this emblem. The third item, older than the other two by far, was an ancient music box. This dusty music box seemed so old and fragile that I dared not try the mechanism for fear of breaking it.

These three items seemed to have some forgotten importance to me, so I kept them in a box near my bed, occasionally getting them out, trying to grasp their forgotten meaning. I have continued on since getting these items for a year, spending most my time with school, homework, and video games. Tonight, I once again found my mind turned to these enigmatic items, and so I retrieve them from the box, and look at them once again. Suddenly, a strange creature started to appear before me.

This creature slowly solidified into a shady form, but I knew that it was the pokemon Gardevoir. Complete with its light green hair covering most of its face, and its white dress-like covering, it actually was a Gardevoir. This shocked and amazed me, and I had scarcely come to my senses again when she started to speak.

"Greetings, you may not remember me, but I know you very well." the Gardevoir communicated telepathically. I was still too shocked to reply. "You looked better as a Mudkip," she continued, with a hint of laughter.

"Mudkip, when was I a Mudkip?" I asked in my confusion.

"Well, your memories were taken from you when you left, but I can restore them. Simply give me that scarf and take hold of that emblem, and all shall be revealed."

Taking hold of the emblem and handing the scarf to the shade of Gardevoir, I decided to have these mysterious items and their past revealed. Gardevoir focused its mental energies, causing both the scarf and emblem to glow.

Suddenly, like a flood, memories came back into my mind. Charmander, my true friend, and my journeys with him all came back to me in an instant. I had saved a world and helped many of the pokemon there from peril and disaster.

"Do you remember who I am now?" Gardevoir inquired.

"Yes, you helped guide me in the pokemon world when I had no memories of Earth or my life here."

"Correct, Ninetales and I decided that you, who saved the world before, were the only one who can help us now. The world we live in is once again imperiled, but by a force entirely different from the previous one you helped stop. This new peril is a mysterious force. Whatever this force is, it has prevented any pokemon, including some of the top ranked rescue teams, from returning from the areas in which it has power. Shiftry, Golem, Octillery, Blastoise, and even Alakazam's teams have gone missing, along with many others. The pokemon now live in fear, gathering at pokemon square for the comfort and protection of the masses."

"The world sounds like it is indeed in danger again, if there are forces that can defeat such skilled teams, I will use my courage and strength to defeat whatever is causing these disappearances."

"Thank you, you truly will be a new hope for all those who are afraid, since you are now thought of almost as a legend after helping to save the world. This time you will have all your memories to help you in your quest. You should also bring that ancient music box you got from the buried relic, since it is from our world and may have uses there. Gather yourself, and we shall go"

And, so after a short while of preparing myself to go, I was ready. Charmander would certainly be happy to see me, and I also missed him deeply, after I thought about being gone for a year. The other members of the team would also be happy to see me again. So I eagerly went back to the pokemon world and being a Mudkip.


	3. Chapter 2: Alone Again

Chapter 2: Alone again

Charmander had been having a rough year. His best friend, Mudkip, had left one year ago. Mudkip needed to go back to the human world, since that was where he belonged. The departure had saddened Charmander, and he still missed his best friend. Without Mudkip leading the team along with him, Charmander also found it harder to be motivated to go rescue pokemon, and as the rescue missions came in lesser amounts as each month passed, he soon spent most his time thinking about his journeys with Mudkip.

This pattern was soon broken. Even though the natural disasters subsided, a new multitude of rescue missions suddenly broke out a few days ago. After not going on a mission for so long, Charmander decided to train. Waking up early at the rescue base, he went over to the water fountain and got a drink and splashed a little bit of water over his head. He briefly looked at his reflection. His orange scales faded to a white mixed with just a hint of orange on his belly, and he still had his old scars on his arm and head. The cool water woke him up, and he stepped outside. Even the shape of the rescue base reminded Charmander of Mudkip, since it was shaped like a Mudkip's head. Overcoming this momentary sadness, Charmander went into town.

Pokemon square was always a bright and bustling place, even in morning. Recently, more pokemon had come in from the regions nearby, afraid of something that had claimed some of the lands to the East. Charmander stopped first at the Kecleon brothers' shop, because they were having a sale, and Charmander had not restocked his supplies in some time. Buying some food and berries, Charmander gave the Kecleon some money. They thanked him profusely, as they do for all their customers, and then Charmander decided to see if there was any news. First, he ran into Charizard, from Team ACT (which stood for team Alakazam, Charizard, and Tyranitar).

"Having a good morning, little cousin?" Charizard politely asked.

"Yes, but I still miss Mudkip every day, even if it has been a year. I'm going to go train, and then I'll go help with these new rescue missions that have been arriving," replied Charmander.

"Well, we all miss Mudkip. He helped all of us, but we must continue on. I'm going with my team today to help complete some of the missions that just arrived. I'm a little worried, though. Yesterday, Blastoise's and Octillery's teams did not return, and the day before that, Golem's and Shiftry's teams disappeared. With Alakazam we should be alright, though. Have a good day, Charmander."

"You too, Charizard. Go rescue those pokemon!"

Charizard walked off, and Charmander went down to the Dojo. The lookout near the Dojo was one of Charmander's favorite places to go, since the waterfall crashed downward, making a fantastic rainbow in the mist during the morning. Charmander stopped for a few minutes to enjoy the view.

"Hello, are you ready to become tough and strong?" Makuhita asked as he walked up to Charmander.

"Yep, I'm going to train and then go rescue pokemon!" Charmander replied.

"Great, today I've set up a special dungeon set up to give even the strongest pokemon a workout. It has a mix of types, and they are all strong pokemon, so I hope you're ready."

"I'm ready, I'll beat that challenge in no time!"

Charmander went into the dungeon set up in the Dojo, and proceeded. The dungeon was a fielded area, full of tall grass that pokemon could jump out of at any time, so Charmander decided to move quietly and cautiously. On the first floor, despite his stealthy Charmander accidently stepped on a stick, which made a loud snap. Suddenly a Scyther jumped out of the grass, slashing wildly. Stepping backwards, and trying to avoid the attacks, Charmander still received a nasty slice on his left arm and across his belly.

"That hurt, now take this!" charmander yelled as he spewed a jet of fire right at the Scyther, who was still recovering from its charge. The flame engulfed the Scyther, which fainted from the inferno, and Charmander moved onward. The second floor proved easier, and Charmander soon found the stairs lying ahead in an open field. He made a run for the stairs, but soon ran into a sticky barrier.

"Look, someone has wandered into our trap," said one Ariados to another, as Charmander struggled inside a web. Both the pokemon moved in and started attacking Charmander. Still slowed by webbing, he could do nothing but take their first attacks. A poison sting and fury cutter came from the pair, and Charmander yelped in pain as he was hit. He felt his strength growing as his life was lowered, and Charmander unleashed a powerful fire spin around himself. The fire spin burned up the remaining web, and managed to hit one of the Ariados, who was moving in for another attack.

"No, you defeated my friend!" hissed Ariados in rage. The Ariados then launched a second fury cutter.

"I'm stronger than you think," Charmander stated, as he swiftly rolled under the attack. Not wasting his close proximity to the enemy, Charmander used a mighty slash, which defeated the second Ariados, and sliced away some of the long grass.

"Now for the real challenge," thought Charmander as he ate an oran berry and proceeded down the stairs to face the three opponents put at the end of each of Makuhita's practice dungeons.

On the third floor waited three opponents: a Growlithe on the right, a Delibird in the center, and a Tailow on the left. Thinking quickly, Charmander came up with a plan to dispatch all three quickly. Building up his power, Charmander unleashed a flamethrower right into Delibird, while it was still reacting to his appearance. The ice pokemon could not withstand the blast, and it was out of the battle. Growlithe and Tailow moved forward, preparing to attack Charmander.

"Only two left now, but I must be careful"

Tailow swooped in, but Charmander unleashed another flamethrower at it. The attack failed to cause damage to Growlithe, who jumped in the way of the attack. Tailow continued its previous attack, although with a little less momentum. The wing attack caused Charmander to slide back a few feet in the dirt, but he managed to withstand it. Charmander saw that Growlithe was still open from taking the previous attack, and so Charmander jumped up into the air and crashed down upon the Growlithe, getting a critical hit with his slash attack. Tailow still was flying around, and hit Charmander from behind with another attack. Charmander was knocked face first into the dirt, and just as he was recovering, Tailow launched another attack. This attack brushed Charmander, who had quickly reacted, preventing the full force of the attack from hitting him. Tailow flew up about 20 feet high, avoiding Charmander's quick tackle. Charmander was ready now, and as Tailow got ready to attack, Charmander unleashed his fire spin. The pillar of flames spun around the Tailow, who fell from the sky with this last attack.

Charmander was tired after this tough training, and decided to rest for the evening before going on any missions. Upon seeing the base he was again reminded of Mudkip, and so he started thinking to himself. "Will I be able to do this alone, like I was before my journeys with Mudkip? I am much stronger than when I first was making a rescue team, but a partner can always give strength and help during a tough mission. I hope I will be successful tomorrow." Charmander soon yawned, curled up on the ground, and was quickly asleep.


	4. Chapter 3: New Forces at Work

Chapter 3: New Forces at Work

Charmander was up early, eager to take on a mission, since he hadn't done one for a few weeks. He quickly tied on his team scarf and got his rescue badge. As the morning's first light shone in through the window, he rushed off to begin his day. He walked quickly through town, noticing that there were more pokemon than the previous day here. He asked a few of them why they had come to pokemon square, and each said that they came for protection, since new and aggressive pokemon had moved into the lands that used to be their homes. These new arrivals worried Charmander, who began to look around to see if Team ACT had come back from their mission yesterday. Not seeing them he went down to Kangaskhan, to retrieve some supplies for his mission today.

"Good morning, Miss Kangaskhan"

"Good morning to you too, Charmander. You seem a bit worried today, what's bothering you?"

"Well, Charizard said he was going on a mission yesterday, but their team doesn't seem to be around. Have you seen them?"

"Nope, they haven't come by since yesterday, but its still early, so they might not be up yet."

"I hope so, but they usually are up early. No use in worrying, I guess, since they are one of the strongest teams. I'll have my usual supplies, Miss Kangaskhan, and be off."

"Okay, here you are. Have a nice day!"

Kangaskhan waved goodbye cheerfully as Charmander walked away to the post office to see which jobs there were.

At the post office, the rescue job board was overflowing with requests. "Wow this is worse than I thought" thought Charmander, as he started looking at the requests. He decided upon taking a job that read:

"Save me, they're too strong!

Rescue Totodile, sinister woods, floor 9

Reward:???"

"That doesn't seem to hard, since the forest pokemon are weak to my flames," pondered Charmander, "this should be a nice mission to do."

Charmander took the note off the board, and was off. He traveled quickly, but ran into small group of pokemon along the way.

"Hello, may I ask where you are going?" inquired Charmander

"We are going to pokemon square where we will be safe, since the woods are becoming too dangerous," replied Pidgeotto, the leader of the group.

"I'm going to the woods on a rescue mission, what dangers do you speak of?"

"Recently, the pokemon have become more aggressive and seem to have a darkness about them. Some of our friends became this way, and we worried that whatever was affecting these pokemon would affect us, too, so we decided to leave. Our group still had to fight a few pokemon on our way out, but we escaped and are going to pokemon square, where it is safer."

"That sounds bad, I'll be careful in there, and hope your travel is safe the rest of the way."

Pidgeotto and the others left, and Charmander proceeded alone into Sinister Woods. The outer part of the woods seemed to be normal, with a few weak pokemon, some of which attacked Charmander, and were easily defeated. "So far nothing seems unusual, and I hope it stays that way." Charmander mumbled to himself, to help encourage himself. The dark trees and thick canopy cast dark shadows over everything, and Charmander continued walking on the moist dirt path. The woods grew thicker, but this was normal and Charmander continued quickly on. Soon he got to the 9th floor, and saw the Totodile sitting in the center of large room. Charmander walked up to Totodile, who was still facing away from him.

"Totodile! I've come to rescue you!" Charmander yelled as he ran up. The Totodile did not respond, so Charmander continued speaking, "Are you ready to go, I'm from Team Saviors, and I'm here to help you."

"It's too late for you now," replied the Totodile, with a sinister tone to its voice, "The darkness has saved me, and it shall save you, if you join us."

"Just what is this darkness, and what group saved you?"

"The darkness has saved me, you must join us!"

Charmander knew something was terribly wrong, and answered, "No, I'm the head of Team Saviors, the rescue team that saved the world, and I must take you back to pokemon square."

"The darkness is already moving on pokemon square, we will be there soon enough, now I will make you join us!"

Totodile jumped at Charmander, unleashing a water gun. Charmander tried to avoid this unexpected attack, but took a heavy blow. He used metal claw, which almost caused the Totodile to faint, and Charmander hoped he would listen now.

"Enough! Stop this foolishness, and return to your friends at pokemon square!" pleaded Charmander.

"No! Darkness aid me!" Totodile yelled.

A new aura of evil seemed to surround the Totodile, which regained some of its strength, and renewed its attack on Charmander. Charmander got hit with a bite, and he now felt his strength faltering. He tackled Totodile, who then ran off. Eating an oran berry, Charmander recovered his life just as several new attackers came out of the trees above.

An Electrike and Mightyena landed in front of Charmander, who was surprised by the sudden arrival of these foes who did not usually live in Sinister Woods. They both seemed to have the same aura around them as Totodile. Charmander tried to attack Electrike, but was hit with a thunder wave, and became paralyzed. During this paralysis, Mightyena used leer on Charmander, and several new pokemon came out from the bushes surrounding the room. Dustox, Nosepass, and Sableye were these new arrivals, and as Charmander recovered he found himself surrounded. In his supplies was a quick seed, which Charmander used. His new speed enabled him to move out of the surrounding group, and take out Dustox with a fire spin. The others continued attacking, and Charmander was hit with Mightyena's tackle and Sableye's faint attack. Reeling from these two blows, Charmander felt the his flame burn stronger, even as his body was in pain. He used his increased speed to hit Electrike, who was moving in behind for another thunder wave, with a flamethrower. The Electrike could not take the attack, and Charmander ate his last oran berry as the other pokemon began the next wave of attacks. Mightyena used mean look, which decreased Charmander back to normal speed, and Nosepass followed this with a rock throw. This attack struck powerfully, and Charmander started to feel his conciousness slipping.

He was almost to pass out, and could not take another attack. Everything Charmander saw seemed to be blurred, and his three opponents took positions on his left, center, and right. Sableye approached for another attack, and was concentrating.

"No!" thought Charmander, "I don't want to join whatever darkness is controlling these pokemon."

Sableye was almost ready to attack, and Charmander braced himself for this attack, hoping to hold on. Suddenly, an iron thorn burst from behind his three opponents, taking out Sableye, who was hit from behind. Nosepass and Mightyena were turning around to face someone, when a shadow ball demolished Nosepass. Mightyena ran forward to take on whoever was saving Charmander. Charmander tried to make out his rescuers, but his vision was still blurred from his low amount of health. Mightyena crashed next to him, defeated by a powerful attack, and three pokemon came into view.

"Kehehe, without Mudkip around you are as pathetic as ever," smirked Gengar.

"Great throw Ekans, that iron thorn really had some power," Medicham complimented her team member.

"Your punch really showed that Mightyena," Ekans replied.

"Team Meanies, who would have thought you would be saving me?" Charmander weakly said, "thank you."

"You don't look so good, kehehe, you should be more careful," Gengar taunted.

Ekans slid up and gave Charmander and oran berry, and he regained his strength. The battle was not over, however. This time many more pokemon started coming into the room and formed a circle around Team Meanies and Charmander.

"This looks bad, Gengar, what should we do?" Medicham asked.

"I don't have an escape orb with me, so it looks like we'll have to fight," Gengar replied.

"Careful, they have some darkness about them, and they seem to be controlled by some other force. I was sent to rescue a Totodile, who said the darkness had saved him, and then attacked me," Charmander explained.

"Well it looks like we may need rescuing ourselves. Form a defensive formation Team Meanies!" Gengar commanded.

Team Meanies and Charmander each faced different directions, covering each others backs. More and more pokemon joined the ring around them, and soon the attack began. At first a few pokemon moved forward, but Charmander's flamethrower blasted them. Soon an all out charge began. These corrupted pokemon seemed quite a bit stronger than normal, and they moved in on the four quickly. Gengar's shadow ball and Charmander's flamethrower took out many of the rushing pokemon, but soon it became a close range melee. Ekans wrapped a foe, Medicham began punching, Gengar switched to nightshade, and Charmander started using slash and metal claw. Many of their foes fell to these attacks, but many others landed attacks of their own. Ekans first took a critical, hit by Sandslash's slash. Gengar, Medicham, and Charmander moved to protect Ekans as he stuggled to stay conscious. The onslaught continued, but started to thin. Medicham used psychic, but then was hit from the side by a Mankey's karate chop. Medicham slumped over Ekans, and Gengar and Charmander continued the fight. Nightshade hit all around Gengar, and many pokemon fell to the attack. Charmander also used his flames in broad sweeps to take out many opponents. The battle raged on, and soon the many attacks weakened the remaining two.

"Ugh, I can't take much more," Panted Gengar.

"My strength is also to its limit," Charmander gasped.

The two, protecting the fallen Ekans and Medicham, soon reduced the opposing team to only a few left. Suddenly, a razor leaf flew from an enemy Tropius, and Gengar went down. "I'm to the end of my power, I don't think I can beat these few left, but I'll try." thought Charmander as he blasted the Tropius with a flamethrower. Only a Grimer and Ponyta remained, and Charmander used fire spin on the Grimer. His attack defeated the enemy, but Ponyta used its speed to hit Charmander with a stomp. He fell over in pain, and as his vision started to fade, he thought he heard a familiar voice.


	5. Chapter 4: Reunion

Chapter 4: Reunion

I arrived at my team's rescue base. Looking around I saw the place that had been my home for several months. The familiar fountain running down and the pool around the stone slab seemed the same as ever. Last time I was here I did not know who I was, but this time, with all my memories, I had a new confidence. I was Mudkip once again. I was a small amphibious pokemon, with a fin on my head and posterior. My moist skin and head fin were blue, slightly more than a normal Mudkip. My lower body and back fin were a light blue. I also had three strange orange spiky extensions on my cheeks as well.

"Sorry to interrupt your reminiscing, but there are several urgent tasks you must accomplish," Gardevoir's shade reminded.

"Being back is nice, but let's put first things first," I replied.

"Ninetales and I await you on the top of Mt. Freeze, and we may have a way to stop this new threat. First, you must reform your old rescue team, and I sense that Charmander is heading into great danger at this moment. After you save him, travel to meet myself and Ninetales, and then we shall find a way to stop this new threat. Gather your supplies and head to Sinister Woods, and hurry!"

After these comments Gardevoir's shade vanished leaving me alone. Thinking about what I had to do I quickly headed to pokemon square after putting on my team scarf.

At pokemon square, the buildings were the same, but there seemed to be an entirely different atmosphere. Many new pokemon were gathered around, and seemed fearful of something. Hoping no one would slow me down, I headed to Kangaskhan's storage.

"Is that really you?" she shouted upon seeing me. "I thought you had left for good, but your appearance during these ominous times gives me hope."

"Yes, I am back now, but like last time I don't know the true nature of the threat facing us. I was told that Charmander may be in trouble, so I will need supplies."

"Charmander may indeed be in trouble. Early this morning he came by, and asked about team ACT. I checked later to see if they ever came back, and discovered that they are missing. This worried me greatly, so I sent team meanies on a mission to help Charmander, since I feared for his safety. Neither has yet returned, and just recently a new group of refugees from Sinister Woods, which is where Charmander went, arrived with terrible news about other pokemon being overcome by a darkness. Here take these supplies, including this escape orb, since you will need them all to save your friend. Be careful, and go quickly."

Upon receiving my supplies I hurried off to rescue Charmander as quickly as possible. The miles went by, and soon I found myself at the entrance. "Just what new evil has come?" I thought as I entered.

Sinister woods was more creepy than usual. A breeze would blow through sometimes, rustling leaves. The trees got thicker, blocking out most of the light. I went silently through the first few floors, since they seemed strangely deserted. As I started nearing the inner woods, even less light got through the trees, and soon it was very dark. Suddenly, a pokemon ran by me, not seeming to notice me. I followed this Ponyta, but it was fast, so soon I was left behind. I continued following its path, especially since it was out of place in the forest. Soon the sounds of a battle reached me, and I ran forward to see if Charmander was ahead.

In a large clearing lay many pokemon who had been defeated by those fighting in the center. I saw the flickering orange glow of Charmander's tail, and I urgently ran in to assist him. While running in I saw Gengar of team meanies, but he fell to razor leaf from an opponent I had not seen. Charmander shot a torrent of fire at this foe, and now only Grimer and the Ponyta I was following were left. I continued running forward, but did not reach Charmander in time. While defeating Grimer, the Ponyta hit my friend with a powerful stomp, which was enough to overcome him.

"No, Charmander!" I cried as I unleashed a torrential hydro pump into the Ponyta. The enemies were defeated, but so were team meanies and Charmander. I was almost to reach Charmander to give him a reviver seed, but suddenly a new enemy appeared.

This new pokemon was unlike any I had ever seen before. It was a black that seemed to absorb all light, and had glowing red crystals in streaks down its arms, side, back, tail, and legs. The largest of these crystals were embedded in the center of its clawed hands. It walked on two legs, like a human, but had claws and scales. Its head had a few of the red crystals above it like a crest, and it had a slanted face. It had black eyes with glowing red pupils. Two small slits for a nose, and a fanged mouth below that completed the appearance of this creature.

"I am Nerezzik, an ancient pokemon destined to rule all others," it stated through its telepathy. "I can sense you are a human, and so I will destroy you before I convert your friends with my power. I once nearly ruled this world ages ago, and before I was stopped I destroyed all humans and their civilization in this world. Their city was turned to a buried relic after I and my armies were done with it, and I will continue to destroy any humans here, even if they are in the body of a pokemon."

With this Nerezzik started his attack. A psychic blast hit my mind, and recovering quickly, I started to fight as well. I used water gun, but this barely did any damage to my opponent. Using the red crystals in its hands, Nerezzik unleashed a bolt of pure darkness, which I could not evade. This attack seemed to damage my soul as well as my body, and I rolled several yards from the force of this attack. Knowing I was not ready to fight such a foe, I ran to save Charmander and team meanies. Another bolt of darkness hit me, blasting me backwards as I dug into the dirt for support. More psychic attacks and dark beams hit me, and soon I was feeling at the end of my power. Luckily, I had a reviver seed, which was used up as another psychic blast hit me. I used my hydro pump, which seemed to inflict enough damage to injure Nerezzik, but this only brought out its stronger attacks. Nerezzik used another new attack that inflicted a damaging darkness that coursed through my mind. I barely was awake after this powerful attack, but I had managed to reach Charmander and Gengar's team.

"Now time to destroy you, human!" Nerezzik's malicious voice resonated through my mind.

"I will find a way to defeat you," I answered back, but this was followed by another dark void that attacked my mind.

In pain, I felt all my strength fading away. I only had one chance to stay alive, and so right before I was defeated, I used the escape orb as my only hope. A bright light teleported team meanies and Charmander away, and surrounded me as I could no longer stay conscious.


	6. Chapter 5: Darkness Descends

Chapter 5: Darkness Descends

I felt a calm breeze and the late afternoon sun shining down upon me as I awoke. As soon as I had opened my eyes, and started getting up, Charmander came over. Tears of joy were streaming down his face, and my eyes started to water a bit, too.

"Mudkip! You're awake! I couldn't believe it was you at first, but you look a bit different than other mudkip. I could tell it was you because your skin is a little more blue than a normal Mudkip. Now we can be a team again."

"My memories of this world were blocked as a human, but as soon as I regained them I remembered how much I missed you, Charmander."

"You have always been my true friend, and it was difficult without you. That was the first rescue I had gone on in a while, but it turned out wrong. Even the Totodile I was sent to rescue attacked me, but you rescued us just in time."

Team Meanies also started awakening, and thanked me for saving them. They wanted to go rest after the long battle, and so they left and headed to the square.

"Team Meanies actually helped me in Sinister Woods before you came, which was unusual for them. I would not have lasted so long without them"

"Kangaskhan told me she sent them, since she was worried for you. Team ACT never returned, and I know why now. After you were unconscious, I defeated the Ponyta, but there was another pokemon that showed up afterward. It called itself Nerezzik, and I believe it is the one who controls those pokemon that attacked. It seems to be able to control any pokemon that is defeated by itself or the controlled pokemon. Nerezzik could tell that I am actually a human, and wanted to kill me because of that. It had destroyed the humans who used to live here ages ago, and that is why there are none left now. Nerezzik attacked me, and I could barely do anything, even with my strongest attacks. The attacks it used either used darkness or psychic abilities, and I could not withstand them for long. I used the escape orb as I was about to be defeated, and that's how we all ended up here, in front of our team base."

"That answers most of my questions, except one: how did you get back to our world?"

"Gardevoir and Ninetales helped to bring me back here when they realized this new peril, and thought I could help against it. So far, both myself alone and you alone could not handle this threat, but since our team is together again, we will do better next time. Also, I have my human memories this time as well, but so far they have been of little use to me here. My last time here was more exciting and memorable than almost any part of my life as a human was anyway. Also we must go to Mt. Freeze since Ninetales is supposed to have some information on Nerezzik."

The sun started setting as our conversation ended, and we both were tired from the day's battle. We headed in to the team base, and decided to spend the night there, since the areas away from pokemon square were not safe anymore. I was happy to be reunited with Charmander again, and tomorrow we would set off to Mt. Freeze.

The sun arose, shining in through the window and reflecting off the water onto the walls. Stretching, I arose and Charmander was awake as well, and had gotten some fruit for breakfast. We ate the fruit, and started getting ready to leave when the sky became darkened by thick storm clouds. The clouds seemed to be moving in unusually fast, so we went to see if anything was happening in town.

The sky grew ever darker as we got to town, and most pokemon were going for shelter from the coming storm. Gengar and his team were in the center of town, where they were warning about the problem that had taken over Sinister Woods. They had not heard about Nerezzik yet, so I decided to tell them to warn the others.

"Gengar, it is good that you are warning others about the threat at Sinister Woods, but the problem is much greater than that. After I came upon your team and Charmander, another pokemon also showed up. Its name is Nerezzik, and it is the one who controls the pokemon that attacked you, and the danger from it is growing daily," I told Gengar.

"A new pokemon appeared after we were defeated? This is bad news indeed, we will spread the word about this new evil that has appeared.," stated Gengar.

"You keep spreading the word here in the square, me and Mudkip will go put a warning at the post office board, so that others will not fall into the same trap as I did," Charmander added.

Gengar continued telling the others, but it only added to the fear that the many refugee pokemon already had. None of them seemed able to do anything about this threat, and some had friends that had been in the areas that the threat seemed to be in. After seeing where the pokemon had fled from, it appeared that the central mountains and the surrounding areas were under the control of Nerezzik's forces. After gathering this info, Charmander and I headed to the post office, and the storm was now reaching pokemon square.

Rain started slowly at first, but soon rains and wind made the walk to the post office much harder. We could not let others fall into Nerezzik's control, so Charmander posted his warning on the board which said: "Beware! A new darkness has spread over most of the central mountains and nearby areas, all rescue teams should be cautious and prepared to escape from danger."

"There that should warn them, now let's go tell Pelipper, too. Brrr, it's cold let's go inside the post office, this rain is making my flame sputter."

"You can go inside, I'm enjoying the rain. How about I get you a leaf to protect you from the rain while you go tell Pelipper about our warning."

"Okay, then we can go see Ninetales again."

Charmander went into the post office, and I got a large leaf from one of the nearby bushes. I got some string out of our team kit, and made a simple hat for Charmander.

I went into the post office, and Charmander had finished telling Pelipper about Nerezzik.

"Here I made you a hat for the rain."

"Thank you, now I'll be able to stay drier and keep my flame stronger. Let's go now and try to escape this storm on the way to Mt. Freeze."

As we headed back to town, the sudden sounds of battle arose. We ran towards the battle, and saw that the pokemon from town had formed a defensive line, and were holding it at the edge of town. The many refugee pokemon, along with the town's pokemon, faced off against the dark army of Nerezzik. As we joined the defense, both sides seemed evenly matched, but the numbers of the dark army continually grew as more pokemon came in. At first easy opponents were all that we faced, and we easily fought them off. The battle progressed, and soon all but the higher level pokemon were tired and hurt. Our line still held, but soon stronger enemies started showing up. We started using our stronger attacks, but Charmander was having a tough time since his power was lessened by the rain. Our line began to crumble, and soon only Charmander, Team Meanies, the Kecleon brothers, Kangaskhan, and myself were left.

Things quickly turned worse as some of the missing rescue teams showed up for the opposite side. Team Shiftry, Team Rumblerock, and Octillery's team showed up, but were completely under Nerezzik's control. Charmander and I decided to take on Octillery's team, Team Meanies took on Team Shiftry, and Kangaskhan and the Kecleon took on Team Rumblerock.

In our battle, Octillery first shot an Oktazooka at us, but it was easy to dodge. I counterattacked with a hydro pump, which hit one of Octillery's team members. Octillery and the other member rushed forward, but Charmander was ready for them. Unleashing a powerful slash, the opposing team was soon reduced to Octillery. Octillery grabbed Charmander, constricting him with some of her tentacles. I was out of reach though, and unleashed a mud-slap. The slippery mud helped Charmander get away, but I was hit by an Octazooka. The powerful blow did some damage, but I shook it off and still was able to fight. Charmander and I took positions on opposite sides of Octillery, and both unleashed long range attacks. A hydro pump and flamethrower both hit Octillery, who collapsed.

Team Meanies also was doing well. Gengar turned invisible, and snuck behind the opposing team while Medicham and Ekans held them back, but took some damage. Gengar reappeared, hitting all three with a nightshade attack. This attack took out both the Nuzleaf, but Shiftry was still around. Shiftry hit Gengar with a wind from his fan, and he flew back, and hit into the fence. Ekans and Medicham both hit Shiftry from behind, since his back was now turned to them. This defeated him, and Team Meanies resumed defensive positions.

The Kecleon and Kangaskhan defeated Team Rumblerock quickly. Using her powerful punches, Kangaskhan kept back and damaged the enemy team. Both the Kecleon used their color changing ability to sneak up on the enemies and unleash powerful attacks. Golem and his partners could not take much of this and were defeated swiftly.

After these three battles, our stamina was wearing out, and as more opponents started approaching, we needed a new plan.

"If we stay, this will turn out as rotten as yesterday in the forest," Gengar stated.

"I see many new opponents approaching, what are we going to do?" Charmander asked.

"If only we could get out and reach Ninetales, like Gardevoir told me, then we might be able to stop this," I added.

"Currently, we are stuck here, and we will slowly be worn down. We are going to lose," said Gengar, "You managed to save the world last time, Mudkip and Charmander. Maybe you can do it again. Team Meanies will hold them off while you escape."

"We, the Kecleon merchants, will also help you since this evil is threatening our business."

"Dears, I will help you escape as well, and you can save the world again," Kangaskhan chimed in.

"Ok, Charmander and I will do our best to save everyone. Now let's move!"

All eight of us moved out of the town, but soon more opponents were upon us. Charmander and I moved quickly towards Lapis Cave, the shortest route to Mt. Freeze. Our friends were left to help stop the forces of Nerezzik, who we saw standing on the cliffs above pokemon square as we escaped.

"A sudden departure, all our friends left behind or turned against us, this is just like last time," Charmander sobbed.

"I know things may be bad now, but we must continue on. That is our only hope. We must waste no time, Charmander, even if we will miss those left behind. Ninetales will have the answers, so let's move on," I said, trying to cheer up myself and Charmander.

Fleeing quickly, we did not see what happened to Team Meanies, the Kecleon, or Kangaskhan, but we continued on. My only hope was to find a way to defeat Nerezzik, but it seemed hopeless at the moment. How could Charmander and myself defeat the armies of pokemon now controlled by the darkness? Determined to save those we left behind, we continued down the muddy path to Lapis Cave.


	7. Chapter 6: A New Journey and Old Friends

Chapter 6: A New Journey and Old Friends

We followed the familiar path we had taken last time we were forced to flee pokemon square. The sky started clearing, and the storm subsided. I walked down the muddy path, enjoying myself by splashing through the puddles. Charmander, who hated the mud and rain, walked alongside the path on the grass. We continued on, but since no one pursuing us appeared, the speed of our initial flight lessened as we took on a more steady traveling pace.

We continued under the cloudy skies and light rain for some time, until suddenly the sun burst through the clouds. A brilliant rainbow appeared, and Charmander stopped to admire it.

"Although we have gone through much today, the brightness and beauty of the world still gives me hope. I know that our efforts can make a difference, if we try hard enough," he thoughtfully said.

"There is still light in this world, Charmander, and it will be our job to find it. Now are you ready for the mountains ahead?"

"Yes, Mudkip, let's move on, it's the only way we will be able to help our friends we had to leave behind. Lapis Cave is right there, up ahead."

Charmander led the way, and we entered Lapis cave. The cave seemed a bit different than normal. Instead of the usual noises of pokemon wandering the cave, there was only silence. Charmander led the way, with his bright flame illuminating the walls. Several crystal formations glittered under the glow of the flame, and we pressed onward. We expected to run into the usual wild pokemon that would be angry and attack those who intruded in their lairs and territories, but the cave was empty. This led to a quick journey, but had me and Charmander on the lookout for surprises. Soon, we had gone through the cave, and it was only the late afternoon, so we moved forward to find a safe place to camp.

As Charmander and Mudkip moved out of the cave, Sableye moved outside of the wall that it had been hiding in. It had seen two of the untouched, those who did not follow Nerezzik, and so Sableye quickly reported back to her master, who was currently gathering its forces at its newly conquered base, pokemon square. Sableye took most of the day to return, and it was dark by the time she reached town. Her master resided in a rescue team base, and she entered and reported.

"Master, I found two of the untouched traveling through Lapis Cave. They are headed to the northeastern mountains. It was a Mudkip and a Charmander"

"Good Sableye, you have found two of my strongest enemies, even if they did not look like much. They have escaped me twice, and one of them is not a true pokemon, and must be destroyed. If they are headed to the northeast mountains, then we will have to use a different approach than my normal army since some of my ancient enemies reside in those mountains. We will need a fast group that is strong and difficult to detect. Go tell my special forces to be ready by the morning. My army is not strong enough to face those foes that fought me ages ago, and so I do not want to alert them of my presence until I'm prepared to defeat them. Tell the special forces to use caution, and not to alert anyone they can't defeat to my presence. They will be traveling to the top of Mt. Freeze. After you send my message, return to your reconnaissance duties and try and find the other five that escaped."

"As you wish, master."

At that, Sableye went to her duties quickly, and delivered the message to Nerezzik's special forces.

Charmander and I had found a good place to camp for the night. It was by a small stream with surrounding rocks and cliffs to protect from ambush. The stream was clear, cold, and rushed quickly by. Charmander drank his fill of the water, quenching the thirst from his trip. I had been looking for berries and fruit upstream and downstream, and swam back up the stream to our camp. My findings for the day were some apples and a few plants and roots we could eat. We ate the food, and saved some of the apples for later. The stars started coming out, and we gazed up at them.

"The stars here are much brighter and different than the ones on my home, Earth."

"They are nice, if you want I'll tell you a few of our constellations. Let's see there is Jirachi if you connect those stars. The three legendary dogs are made up of those stars up there and circle around the north star there. Rayquaza is made up of that line of stars near the south horizon. Those are all I can see right now, but in the south are the constellations of Mew and the legendary birds. There are also others I can't remember now."

"It's nice to be able to see the stars. Humans also have constellations made of the beasts and heroes of the past. The pollution and light made by the people make it hard to see the stars, though, unless you are away from the cities. I enjoy this world because it is so clean and natural."

"I'm glad you could come back. Goodnight, Mudkip."

"Goodnight, Charmander"

Charmander yawned and curled up in the sand. I lay next to his tail, and was warmed by the gentle flame at its tip. The calm flowing of the stream soon lulled me to sleep.

The sun arose, waking up me and Charmander. We ate some of the apples from last night and set off again. As we entered the plains, we climbed a nearby hill to see if anyone from Nerezzik's forces had followed us. We could see no one and continued our journey. After a while the rolling grass of the plains gave way to the foothills of the mountains, and we also started seeing other pokemon again.

"I know an excellent way that we could take to Mt. Freeze," Charmander said, "It's called Windy Pass and leads right past Mt. Blaze and it cuts through most of the Frosty Forest."

"That sounds like a great way to go, why didn't we take it last time?" I replied.

"Last time we were in too much of a hurry, and this way does take a little longer. It also would not have gotten rid of any of our pursuers, but we don't seem to have anyone after us right now. If we head North we should run into it."

"Okay, let's go."

We continued heading north through the foothills of the mountains. The rolling green grass of the plains slowly gave way to the small trees and boulders of the foothills, and soon we had to go up and down a rocky trail that headed North. A few bird pokemon flew in the sky, and some other pokemon scampered about in the boulders. Apparently, this place was not under Nerezzik's control yet.

Soon, we were sore and tired of going up and down the rocky slopes. Around noon we decided to rest for a while under a small gnarled tree. We got out some of the apples and plants we had found yesterday, and ate them. The food was filling, and we looked down on the plains we had been in this morning. Three small dots seemed to be moving far away, near the area we had stayed at last night.

"Look Charmander, there are some pokemon down by where we were earlier. They seem to be following the path we took, but its hard to tell from here."

"You have good eyes, Mudkip. I can't make out who they are, but they could be under Nerezzik's control for all we know. We should keep moving and get away from the open plains and foothills."

"Good idea. Nerezzik has only used large groups before now, but we can never be too cautious, and they do seem to be following the same trail as us."

"We're almost to the pass. We should be there around dusk if we hurry."

Charmander led the way on the rocky trail, and I followed along. We got higher into the mountains, and soon the many trees made it difficult to see if we were being followed. We climbed up the rocky slope in the setting sun, and soon we were up in the mountains with the Windy Pass before us. To the south Mt. Blaze spewed some smoke, but was much quieter than when we went over it last time. Up ahead the snowy top of Mt. Freeze could be seen above the other mountains. The setting sun made the clouds many shades of red and orange, which I admired as Charmander and I got ready to make camp. We found a small cave, barely a hole in the mountainside, that was concealed by many trees and bushes.

"Look, I found the perfect place to stay tonight," Charmander said, "It is concealed and the pine nuts on these trees and berries on these bushes right by the cave are edible."

"Great, now we don't need to find food again. Here let's get some for tomorrow, as well," I stated as I gathered up some of the food and placed it in our toolbox.

The pine nuts and berries provided an excellent dinner, and soon the sun had set. After a long day of climbing up rocky paths, my feet were a bit sore and I was tired. I told Charmander good night, and soon was asleep.

The next day we got up right before sunrise. The berries and nuts outside provided another convenient meal, and we set off as the sun rose. The air up in the mountains had a bit of a chill to it, but the traveling warmed me up.

As we started through Windy Pass, a strong breeze started blowing. The narrow path between the steep cliffs rose upward slowly, and we headed through the pass. Some of the wild pokemon attacked us a few times, but an attack easily drove them away. These opponents seemed easy after the ferocity of the controlled pokemon, and we progressed quickly. The narrow path opened up into some larger areas sometimes, and we found a few good items on the way up. A reviver seed and a few oran berries were added to our toolbox, and we continued on through the narrow winding path. Soon we reached the end, and had just walked out into the open when a lightning bolt struck behind us.

"Begone outsiders, no others are allowed into our domains," said a voice from the sky.

A sudden icy blast then hit to the side of us, freezing a small pond solid.

"Any coming from where you have been can not be trusted, turn back now," boomed another voice from the sky.

We were too surprised to move, and next a fiery blast torched a bush ahead of us.

"Your time to leave is almost over. Go, unless you want to be defeated!" cried another voice from the heavens.

Charmander and I remained firm and ready to face these three opponents, and did not move. The sun was darkened as three pokemon swooped down upon us. The light from the sun made it difficult to make out who they were, but as they got closer we could tell it was Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres. I pushed Charmander back, using my protect to face the opening attack. Thunder, fire, and lightning combined into a massive tri-attack that could have defeated almost any pokemon, and even though I protected myself from the damage, I was blown backwards by the force of the blast. I ran into Charmander, whose feet had been frozen to the ground by part of the blast. We collided and were both in pain. Our three opponents landed around us as we got up, and their shadows covered us.

"Zapdos, Moltres, Articuno, wait!" Charmander yelled, "We are not your enemies! Remember us, Team Saviors?"

"Team Saviors?" Articuno replied, "I let you pass last time, but why are you back again?"

"Perhaps they know something about the pokemon that attacked Mt. Thunder," Zapdos added.

"Yes, we have come with a need to see Ninetales again, and also can tell you about a dark series of events that has been taking place," I replied, "Charmander and I have come from pokemon square, which has just been taken over by Nerezzik."

Moltres responded with sudden rage. "Nerezzik! That blackheart! We will not fall to him this time, since you have warned us. If he has returned then you must indeed go see Ninetales, since he knows about the powers of the ancient pokemon and the seals placed on them. Zapdos, Articuno, and I will combine our powers to defend the mountains from the dark army as long as we can. In fact, Zapdos was here asking for our help, since he is too weak to defend his own mountain by himself."

"I could have defended it, as long as Nerezzik himself did not come, which is just as good as you would have done, Moltres. I was worried and came to seek your advice about the pokemon that had been frequently attacking me recently, since I thought it might be something like Nerezzik anyway," Zapdos argued.

"Stop your arguing, it won't help us anyway," Articuno cut in, cooling the argument, "if Nerezzik has returned, his power will grow until he knows it is enough to defeat us. We can't lose any time, Team Saviors, you must go as quickly as possible. If you continue down this path it will lead you to the end of my domain, the Frosty Forest, and then you will almost be to Ninetales."

"Thank you, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, we will be forever thankful for your help," Charmander said.

The three legendary birds flew off to scout for any of Nerezzik's forces that might have followed us. As they moved away through the sky, Charmander's feet unfroze and we moved up the path. The Frosty Forest was up ahead, and the snow was cold on my feet, but also felt good compared to the rough rocks of yesterday. The path did indeed cut right to the end of the forest, and soon Mt. Freeze was ahead of us. Its tall peak and steep sides seemed formidable, and we approached its base.


	8. Chapter 7: The Unfinished Battle

Chapter 7: The Unfinished Battle

After a while of walking in the snow around Mt. Freeze, my feet began to grow cold. I stayed right next to Charmander's tail to help keep myself warm. Pressing on through the cold here brought back many memories.

"Charmander, remember last time we were here?"

"Yes, our only hope then was to reach Ninetales, like it is now. If we just tough it out a bit longer we'll be there."

"Yes, reaching Ninetales is part of the answer, but I think we have much more to do. Even with the wisdom and power of Ninetales, how could we defeat Nerezzik's forces ourself?"

"Cheer up Mudkip, sometimes you think a little too much. If we just keep going onward, I know we'll come out okay."

"Thanks for the encouragement Charmander, now let's go climb Mt. Freeze."

We both started climbing the winding path up Mt. Freeze. Sometimes icy winds would blow, and other times we would run into the native pokemon. The native pokemon were a bit stronger than those we ran into earlier, since the harsh climate here made them that way. They still were no match for me or Charmander though, and so we continued onward.

Soon we had made it to the top where Ninetales and Gardevoir awaited. In the sheltered alcove at the top we found some rest from the winds and cold. Ninetales then began to speak.

"Greetings Charmander and Mudkip of Team Saviors, it has been a while since the last time I saw you. Last time you came to discover who you really were and receive help from me. This time, however, I can sense a confidence and a sadness about you. You have become much stronger over the months since our last meeting, but you are sad since your strength is not enough to face the current threat. I brought Gardevoir here when I sensed this darkness growing, and using her previous link to you, I managed to temporarily break the seal between the two worlds. This drained most of my magic power, but I have recovered some of it since then. There is only one way to stop this threat, and we will have to act quickly. Now…"

"Wait," Gardevoir interrupted, "I sense someone approaching. Someone powerful must be with them, because their minds are guarded against my psychic abilities. They are almost here. Watch out!"

Gardevoir moved quickly trying to raise a barrier against some unexpected attack, but Ninetales had been faster, and absorbed the power from the flamethrower that came from these new attackers.

"You three fight, I will try and protect you from as many of the attacks as I can," Guardevoir communicated telepathically.

Just then three familiar pokemon entered the top of Mt. Freeze. Alakazam, Charizard, and Tyranitar all came running in. Their faces had changed from the last time I saw them. Now darkness and malice masked their faces, and they prepared to launch a new wave of attacks. From this darkness that was around each of them, I knew that Nerezzik now controlled them, so a battle was now inevitable.

"Hold nothing back Charmander and Ninetales," I warned, "They are under the control of Nerezzik."

I could feel some defensive barriers form around me as Gardevoir continued concentrating. Charmander and Ninetales also were ready, and had shimmering barriers around themselves.

"I can sense that Alakazam is the strongest among this team," Ninetales said, " I will go after him. You two will take on Tyranitar and Charizard."

Ninetales used his speed and cunning that he was legendary for to move into position behind Team ACT. Meanwhile me and Charmander moved to confront Tyranitar and Charizard. For a short moment all six of us stood, tense and ready to begin, but this soon ended as Ninetales used a Fire Spin on Alakazam. Alakazam broke the power of the move with his mental powers, and counterattacked with his psychic abilities. Ninetales took the attack well, and used a confuse ray.

Charmander and I had also begun to battle with Charizard and Tyranitar. We decided to take on Charizard first, and launched our first attacks at him. Both Charmander and Charizard unleashed their flamethrowers, and the two attacks collided, causing a shockwave of heat to spread across the room. Some of the ice melted, creating a little mud, and so I unleashed a mud-slap at Tyranitar. Charizard moved to guard his partner against this attack, and at the same time Tyranitar prepared to attack. Tyranitar unleashed rock throw, and Charizard rushed forward with a wing attack. I rolled out of the way of the first, but was still hit by the second attack. Gaurdevoir's barriers did their job, and took part of the damage, but I was still knocked backwards and out of breath.

I got up, and signaled to Charmander to use our team combo on Charizard. Charmander again used flamethrower, which was again countered by the same move from Charizard. As the two attacks stalled against each other, I jumped over Charmander, and unleashed hydro pump. The attack quenched Charizard's flamethrower, who was hit by both my hydro pump and Charmander's flamethrower. Reeling from this devastating combo, Charizard became unsteady. Both Charmander and I continued our team attack, and both rushed forward. I slid to a stop, making the wet ground fly up for a mud-slap. Charmander continued rushing forward, and since Charizard was distracted by my attack, Charmander managed to unleash a slash attack at full power. Charizard fell to the ground with a crash and was unconscious. With one opponent down, we prepared to battle Tyranitar.

As we were battling Charizard, Ninetales and Alakazam continued their fight. Confuse ray temporarily allowed Ninetales to get around Alakazam's defenses. A will-o-wisp attack managed to cause a burn on Alakazam, and a quick attack brought down some of his life as well. After recovering from the confusion, Alakazam began fighting again. Using disable and recover, Alakazam was able to make up for his lost life, and soon both opponents appeared to be close to equal. The burn still affected Alakazam, and Ninetales craftily awaited an opening. Taking a few more psychics, Ninetales did seem to be getting tired, but he suddenly managed to surprise Alakazam with a fire spin. Alakazam, hurt by both the burn and the fire spin, lost his focus, and so was unable to do anything against the next few attacks. Ninetales followed up with another confuse ray, which prevented Alakazam from recovering for even longer. Ninetales had Alakazam trapped in a combination of confusion, burn, and fire spins.

As the three of us were occupied, Tyranitar had broken away from our fight to attack Gardevoir. Still focusing on maintaining the defensive barriers, Gardevoir was unable to defend against a crunch attack, and was knocked out. Feeling much more vulnerable now, we moved to avenge our fallen friend. Tyranitar, while powerful, was also a bit slow, so we moved to opposite sides to use our speed to our advantage. Tyranitar, knowing that his advantage was in close range power, used earthquake to draw us closer. Charmander seemed dazed from this attack, and, as he recovered, I rushed Tyranitar. I used a mud-slap, which did a little damage to Tyranitar, but in my rush forward I was hit by a crunch attack. This powerful attack damaged me, and as I recovered, Tyranitar trapped me under one of its hard and powerful feet.

"I must destroy the human for the master," Tyranitar spoke in a strange and distant voice. Tyranitar prepared to crush me, but Charmander was ready for his attack.

"Charmander, melt the ice and snow above Tyranitar!" I yelled as Tyranitar increasingly crushed me under his foot.

Charmander saw my plan, and used fire spin on Tyranitar. The attack did not do much damage to Tyranitar himself, but the spinning flames rose upwards into the ledges of ice and snow above us. Several large icicles as well as a waterfall of melted water fell on Tyranitar, who was defeated under this unexpected avalanche. I also was buried, but was free from Tyranitar's foot, and started digging my way out of the pile of snow. Charmander helped free me, and the battle between Alakazam and Ninetales raged on.

Using his previous combo, Ninetales had exhausted Alakazam's ability to heal himself. Alakazam's mental energy was low, but still powerful enough for some attacks. As soon as Gardevoir had been knocked out by Tyranitar, Alakazam had used psychic to interrupt Ninetales. This prevented his early defeat, and Alakazam soon gained the upper hand. Ninetales kept using his attacks, but Alakazam was able to defend against these more often. Both Ninetales and Alakazam were exhausted, and prepared for one final attack. Fire spin hit Alakazam again, and Ninetales took another psychic attack. Both pokemon collapsed, and Charmander and I ran over to help. They both seemed too weak to fight, but both started getting up again. Alakazam could not defend against both me and Charmander, though, and we defeated him.

Charmander took our reviver seed to Gardevoir while I gave an oran berry to Ninetales. Rejuvenated, Ninetales then went over to the defeated Team ACT, and used a strange incantation.

"There, I have sealed the darkness away in each of these three," explained Ninetales. "My powers of seals and curses allows me to seal away the darkness in a defeated pokemon. This power takes too much energy, and can easily be reversed by Nerezzik, though. That is why we will need someone else to help us defeat him. Now, to continue from before we were interrupted, I will tell you what must be done to defeat Nerezzik. Nerezzik once before awoke and tried to use its power to control everyone. Ages ago, Nerezzik had gathered such power as to seem unstoppable. The dark armies moved across the lands and soon even the strongest of pokemon began to fall. All hope seemed lost. Nerezzik used those he controlled to destroy the humans who once used to live here. They tried to defend against the attacks, but soon they disappeared. As the world seemed destined to be ruled by Nerezzik, a new light burst forth. This new light was able to defeat the darkness and protect pokemon from falling under its control. Nerezzik was sealed away for ages after the pokemon who brought this light to the world defeated him. This seal required the light bringer to also remove himself from the world, and so all thought of him faded. This tale is what I know of the origins of Nerezzik, but it is even older than myself. However, centuries ago, when I was a young pup, there used to be a festival to honor the light bringer. Although I never went to the shrine itself, I know that the key to finding this pokemon of light lies in finding the shrine that was made in its honor. The shrine was somewhere in the southeastern mountains, though, so if we look there, we should be able to find it. This is the only hope, and we must hurry before Nerezzik returns with his armies. Gardevoir will stay here and protect Team ACT from becoming slaves to the darkness again, while we will go search for the shrine."

"At last we will be able to free everyone at pokemon square!" Charmander shouted with joy.

"Let's go quickly and find this shrine," I said, "Hopefully, the legendary birds will be able to defend and hold off Nerezzik long enough for us to find this bringer of light. It's good to have something to give us hope once again."

"Wait, the mountains are treacherous in the dark, so we shall remain here for the night," warned Ninetales, "we shall embark on our quest in the morning, which will give us some time to recover from our battle. Also, I would like to question Alakazam and the others to see what they have learned while under Nerezzik's control. Some rest will also give me time to try to remember more about the description of the location of the shrine."

Heeding Ninetales' advice we stayed at the cave at the of Mt. Freeze. Charmander and I spent some time talking about our previous journey, and also spoke to Gardevoir. Ninetales mostly sat or paced, trying to remember the stories of the light bringer from his childhood. The day had already mostly gone by, and soon it was night. Team ACT had not awakened yet, so we all went to bed after Gardevoir put up some barriers for protection and sensing enemies on the mountain.


	9. Chapter 8: The Search Begins

Chapter 8: The Search Begins

The ice and snow reflected the morning light brightly and the frigid air awoke me quickly. Ninetales was awake already, surveying the distant mountains from the entrance. I woke Charmander up with a gentle nudge, and we went over to Ninetales.

Ninetales greeted us. "Good morning, Mudkip and Charmander, I hope you rested well. I have been thinking of my past and where we should begin our search. There is a group of mountains in the south called the Mystic Mountains. These mountains were once the place of many shrines, ceremonies, and magic. I believe that is where we shall go, but first let's question Team ACT."

Ninetales went over and placed a paw on Alakazam, Charizard, then Tyranitar. A slight blue glow came from the paw, and each of the pokemon awoke.

Ninetales began, "Good morning Team ACT. I have sealed away Nerezzik's control over you, so you may now know that your desires and decisions are your own. You must not face Nerezzik again, for my seal could be overcome if you should fall under his power again. Now, tell us any information you may have gained during your service to Nerezzik, and perhaps it will help us stop him."

Alakazam, the leader, spoke for his team. "Thank you for freeing us, Ninetales, this is the second time we owe you for stopping us from committing terrible acts. I shall now tell what happened to us. It began a short while back, when many new rescue missions started showing up. We went on one of these new missions, and had reached the pokemon that had sent the request. We were then ambushed by many under the control of Nerezzik. We fought a long and vicious battle, but eventually we were overcome by the numbers against us. After this we awoke, but were different from before. A new desire consumed our thoughts, a desire to make the world as Nerezzik wanted it. Nerezzik looked us over, and assigned us several jobs. We defeated other pokemon, including some of the other rescue teams, so that Nerezzik could gain control over them as well. After the attack on pokemon square, Nerezzik then sent us on a special mission to defeat Mudkip and Charmander. Nerezzik thought we would be strong enough to win, but with Ninetales and Gardevoire helping, we were defeated. Nerezzik's control is powerful, but it only works on those who have been defeated. I also sensed fear in Nerezzik when he thought about Mudkip as a human. The thought of humans seems to make him enraged, but also causes a deep fear in him. Other than that, Nerezzik's plans for now are to create a fortress at pokemon square, and add numbers to his army. Right now he is trying to get stronger pokemon under his control, since we were among the strongest of his recruits when we were sent on this mission. If Team ACT can help in any way to defeat Nerezzik, we will."

Ninetales pondered this new information, and then said, "Interesting information, Team ACT. It may be of some use to us. Mudkip, you must be cautious, for Nerezzik fears you and will try to destroy you, like he already has been. Nerezzik seems to hope you were defeated, so it will take a few days for him to realize that Team ACT failed in their mission. We must use this time to get as close as we can to finding the shrine. We should leave as soon as possible. Gardevoire and Team ACT will warn others and help defend this area, should the dark army try to attack it. Gardevoire and Team ACT, you must also help the legendary birds, since they are also defending this area. Communicate with your psychic powers with me each day at sunset, so I can focus my mind and hear your messages. I will help Charmander and Mudkip find the shrine."

Alakazam replied, "Sounds like a good plan to me."

Charmander also decided to speak. "I also think the plan will work well. With Ninetales as our guide, me and Mudkip should find that shrine before too long. Let's get moving."

With Ninetales now as our companion, Charmander and I bid farewell to Gardevoire and Team ACT, who went to fulfill their mission as well. Ninetales showed us to a the side of the mountain, where a large glacier made a slide down the mountain.

"This way will fastest," Ninetales explained, "Just don't get off to the sides and you should slide right down to the lake at the bottom."

Ninetales then jumped on the glacier, seeming younger and more joyful than he had ever appeared before. He started sliding down the mountain, and Charmander and I got ready to go.

"Are you ready, Charmander?" I asked, "Here I go!"

"Wait for me!" Charmander replied, as he jumped on the glacier behind me.

I slid slowly at first but started picking up speed. The snow covered trees and rocks on the mountainside whizzed by the side of the glacier. Charmander picked up more speed, and got ahead of me.

"Race you down!" He yelled as he went past.

I pushed myself forward with my front paws, but Charmander's claws gave him even more speed as he continued going down the mountain on his belly. The glacier slowly flattened as it entered a lake below, but the lake was also frozen over. Several snow covered trees dotted the shore, and Ninetales began waiting beside one of them as he finished sliding over the frozen lake. Charmander reached the frozen lake a little before me, and we both slid across it into a large snow bank.

Shaking off the snow, Charmander said, "Looks I won the race, Mudkip"

"Yep, you won, I couldn't get as good a grip on the ice, since you have sharp claws."

Ninetales then interrupted our talk. "Going down that glacier always makes me feel young again. We need to keep moving, though, and not waste time."

"Okay," Charmander replied, " let's go!"

We moved quickly after the excitement of sliding down the mountain. The air slowly got warmer, and soon we reached the end of the snow. It was nice to have my feet warm again. We kept moving down to the south, and we approached Mt. Blaze. The hardened lava flows and ash were a bit rough, and the sun began to set. We found a place to rest, and Ninetales began to meditate.

After a short while, Ninetales told us about how the others were doing. "Team ACT and Gardevoir have been warning the others. There are not many pokemon clans near Mt. Freeze though, so they have had to travel around."

"Wait, what is a pokemon clan?" I asked Ninetales.

"You didn't hear about them last time you were here? I thought Charmander would have told you. A pokemon clan is made up of all the pokemon that belong to a certain group of pokemon. Each clan makes its home in a different part of the world. The Ninetales clan that I belong to lives near a volcano in the west. Many Vulpix and Ninetales stay and live in the clan grounds, but some, like me, choose to seek wisdom by traveling the world. I visit them every few years or so, but it has been a while since my last visit to them. Each clan has its rules, ranks, and such as well. I am one of the honored speakers on the clan council as well. In my clan I am known as The Ancient, since I am the eldest of the Ninetales."

"I haven't been to see my clan for a few years, either," Charmander added, "It has been a while since I thought about them. The natural disasters made me want to help others, so I left the clan grounds and headed to pokemon square. At first I didn't have much luck finding someone to help me start a rescue team, but then I met you, Mudkip. You have been a better friend than anyone in the Charizard clan, though. When I was little, though, me and the other Charmander used to have lots of fun on the warm volcanic sands that were our home. The Charizard clan lives near the same volcano that the Ninetales clan lives near, but we live on the sunny beach and surrounding cliffs. Each person in the clan has their own special name, since they all are either Charmander, Charmeleon, or Charizard, so we can't call each other by that name or it would be confusing. The Charizard on Team ACT is my cousin, and is known as Firebrand, since he enjoys fighting and challenges. My name in the clan is Draconis. It is the name of each male Charmander in my family line. There is also a Swampert clan that lived up the river that was by my clan grounds, maybe you should go see them sometime, Mudkip. I should probably go see my clan when we stop Nerezzik. It would be nice to see Charmandra again."

Charmander seemed a bit different than ever before when he mentioned Charmandra, so I decided to ask him.

"Wait, who is Charmandra?" I asked.

Charmander blushed a little, and mumbled a reply, "Well, um, she was another of the Charmander that I grew up with."

"It seems like she might have been a bit more than that, from with your expression, Charmander," I added.

"Well, she was one of the smartest and prettiest Charmander. I used to spend a lot of time with her before the disasters started and I left to make a rescue team."

"Well, it is interesting to learn about your life as a pokemon, especially since I grew up as a human," I replied, since I could tell that Charmander didn't want to talk about the subject much more. These pokemon clans seemed interesting.

"So, do the humans have clans like the pokemon?" Charmander asked.

"Well we have families. Each family is different. Some are small with just the parents and children. Sometimes only one parent is there to raise the children. My own family is large. I have several brothers, and we are part of a larger family that gets together once in a while. When we are all together, with cousins, grandparents, parents, and relatives, my family is one of the bigger ones. In the human world each person has a different name, and the one I go by is Ben."

"Sounds like the humans aren't too bad, then," Charmander replied, "They seem to be capable of being strong and nice like you, Mudkip, but also some seem to be mean and heartless, like the one in the Ninetales legend. Looks like it is getting pretty late now, Ninetales has already gone to sleep, and we should too. Goodnight, Ben, although I will still call you Mudkip, since that is the name I've known you by for so long."

"Goodnight Charmander."

It had indeed grown late as we had been talking. The smoke from Mt. Blaze obscured the starlight. The ground was warm here, though, and I grew tired quickly. Charmander yawned, and curled up on the ground, and soon I was asleep as well.


	10. Chapter 9: The Mystic Mountains

Chapter 9: The Mystic Mountains

Ninetales got us up before dawn, and had already prepared a quick meal for us. Eating quickly, we started on our journey again. The smoke and ash soon was behind us, and the air was clear once more. The grass grew thick, making the journey much softer on our tired feet. Soon the Northern mountains fell behind us, and we traveled through the plains once more. The land had been healing slowly from the disasters of the previous year, but many fissures and scorched areas still dotted the land. We continued onward towards the South, and soon a new set of mountains was before us in the setting sun.

"Look, those are the Mystic Mountains," Ninetales pointed out, "They have always been the home to mysteries and secrets, and now it looks like we must uncover one that has remained hidden for centuries. The slopes of these mountains are always covered in thick clouds and fog. There are also the remnants of the ancient magic there, some of it in the forms of traps and puzzles. We must be cautious once we reach them."

We reached the base of the mountains, and Ninetales once again communicated with Alakazam. This time the conversation must have gone on a bit longer than last time, but after a while Ninetales revealed what news Alakazam had for us.

"Team ACT managed to contact the legendary birds, who had been on the lookout for any of Nerezzik's forces. Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos had found a few scouting groups of the dark forces, but other than that Nerezzik had not sent many forces out of the central areas it now controls. It seems to be focusing on other places, probably to the North or West, and trying to add numbers to its forces."

"Well that should make our search here easier," I replied, "If we don't have to worry about Nerezzik's army coming after us, then we can focus on the task at hand much better."

Our search would begin tomorrow, and so we ate some nuts and bananas we had found that day, and then tried to get some sleep. As night fell, some strange noises and flashes came from the Mystic Mountains.

"What was that?" Charmander asked.

"The spirits and magic that live on the mountains here are more active at night, and so we will try to search as much as we can during the day tomorrow," Ninetales said, "Get your rest, for the spirits here are not always ghost pokemon, but sometimes have other forms. If we must fight these spirits, we will need all the strength we have. We will be safe down here, though, so you and Mudkip get your rest."

We all said goodnight, and tried to get what rest we could. The noises and light would happen in short bursts, but the night was mostly quiet, and so we fell asleep.

In the morning light, the mountains again seemed to be normal except for the thick clouds covering most of the upper parts. We started up an ancient trail that only Ninetales noticed, due to the marks on some rocks. At first, the trail seemed to lead up the mountain in switchbacks, but as we reached the first of the clouds that covered the upper part, we ran into a setback. A rockslide had destroyed the upper part of the trail, leaving only cliffs on that way up. We went left from the ruined trail, and headed into the thick woods covering the rest of mountain. The clouds made it difficult to see far ahead, but soon we reached a small clearing.

"Wait!" Ninetales warned, but Charmander and I had already walked out into the clearing. Suddenly we stepped on a symbol carved into the stone in the clearing, and it began to glow ominously. The air turned very cold, and ice shot up from the ground, freezing me and Charmander in place. Ninetales used its fire to unthaw Charmander, who then helped unthaw me. While we were distracted getting out of this trap, a new presence filled the air.

"Keep your guard up, we seem to have attracted some of the ghosts of the mountain," Ninetales cautioned.

Suddenly laughter filled the air, and a few ghost pokemon attacked. A Banette, Haunter, and Dusclops appeared for a few seconds, and launched a barrage of shadow balls at us.

"We are the spirits who protect this mountain," they said, "Turn back if you don't want to die."

They then vanished from sight, but would appear and launch attacks from unexpected places. After a few hits, all three of us were hurting a little.

"What should we do, Ninetales? They disappear before we can hit them," I said.

"There is a seed that grows often on these mountains. It's called an eyedrop seed, and it will make so you can see invisible things," Ninetales replied, "Run, until we find some."

The three of us ran through the forest, with the ghosts following us. Their attacks hit less now that we were on the move, but we had to find some of those eyedrop seeds quickly.

"Wait, look over there," Charmander pointed out, "There are some plants that are going to seed, let's check them out."

Charmander ran over, and grabbed a few of the seeds.

"Ninetales, Mudkip, catch these!" Charmander shouted as he threw some of the seeds to us.

Eating the seeds gave the mountain a whole new look. What had just been a fog covered forest before suddenly became alive now that we could see the ancient traps, as well as the ghosts chasing us. We formed a line, and as the ghosts approached, we unleashed our attacks. Two fire attacks and my water attack hit our three opponents, defeating them.

"That was pretty rough fighting enemies we couldn't see," Charmander said.

"Good job finding those seeds, Charmander," I complimented.

"That was just the beginning if the tales I've heard are correct," Ninetales added, "These ghost pokemon protect the lower parts of these mountains, but the spirits later are unlike any known anywhere else in the world. Gather as many of those seeds as you can find, and let's move onward."

We found more of the plants with the eyedrop seeds, and soon we had plenty to help us later. We continued through the forest, taking turns using the seeds to look out for magical traps or ghosts. Apparently the traps drew the ghost pokemon near, since we didn't run into anyone else in the forest. We climbed up the mountain, but soon steep cliffs once again blocked our way. We searched for a way up, but the only way we found was a dark cave.

"Looks like we are approaching the upper part of the mountain now," Ninetales observed, "We must look out for even more dangers than before, especially in a cave like that."

We started into the cave. The air inside was freezing cold, and the thick fog that covered the mountainside was even thicker in here. The drips of water echoed through the narrow passages that were ahead of us, and the large stalactites and stalagmites showed that the cave was ancient. Still using the power of the seeds, we avoided some traps that certainly would have been nasty by the looks of the glowing runes carved into the ground or walls.

Soon we arrived at a room with three archways, and a strange stone door with three indentations in it. On the door there was an inscription.

"I can't make out what it says," Charmander said.

"My ancient wisdom does not help me understand the writing any more than you, young one," Ninetales added as he walked up.

I then took a close look at the writing, and was surprised. "No wonder you two can't understand this. It is not written in the language used by pokemon. Instead it is in the language of humans, which I have never seen in this world before. Here I shall read it:"

'Seekers of light,

Alone you must fight,

Defeat the three,

And the way will be free.'

"It is a poem telling how to open the door," I explained, "Apparently we must fight three things before we continue onward. Look, each of these archways has more writing around it."

The first archway read: 'The test of power'. The second archway read: 'The test of mind'. The third read: 'The test of will'. Charmander, Ninetales, and I each tried to decide which way to go. Ninetales chose to go to the test of mind, and as soon as he walked past the archway, an ancient portcullis slid downward, trapping him in.

"Looks like once we choose, there is no going back," he said, "You two choose wisely, and good luck."

Ninetales went down his passage, leaving me and Charmander to choose between power or will.

"I have a strong willpower after enduring our last journey. I'll take that one," I said.

"Okay, good luck, Mudkip. That leaves me with power, which I certainly have gained as we rescued others," Charmander said.

We went down the tunnels, and were also shut in like Ninetales was. I continued down my tunnel until I reached a room. In the room appeared the ghost of a beautiful maiden, dressed like humans did long ago. She had pale white skin, and long golden hair.

"Mudkip, or should I say Ben?" she greeted, "I was once the princess of a kingdom. I went on long journeys, to help others, just like you. My travels seemed important to me, but when I returned I found that my home had been lost and destroyed. Your tale may hold a similar ending. You have abandoned your world for this one. In your time on this world, what will happen back at your home? I shall show you what will become of your world should you remain here as a pokemon. This shall be your test."

She beckoned me closer, and knelt down next to a large polished crystal that was in the center of the room. She touched the center of the crystal, and after citing a few ancient words of magic, the crystal began to glow. She removed her hand from the crystal, and then picked me up and placed me on its center. The room I was in faded away, and a new scene took its place.

Meanwhile, Ninetales was nearly done with his test. In the room at the end of the tunnel he took, a ghost had appeared. It was the ghost of a man, and it wore a robe of black embroidered with gold and silver runes. First, Ninetales was given a few puzzles to solve. He quickly moved the pieces into the right places and finished them. Now the ghost was asking him riddles.

"The more you have, the less you realize that you possess," said the specter.

Ninetales thought this over, and came up with an answer after a few minutes.

"The answer is knowledge," answered Ninetales.

"Now for one last one: A million eyes, ever watching, living half of time," said the ghost.

Ninetales thought it over. This was a tough one, and Ninetales began to ponder what his answer should be.

Charmander went down his own tunnel, preparing for the test of power that lie ahead of him. He entered the room at the end, and a ghost appeared. It was not a pokemon, but instead looked like the description of humans in the tales Charmander had heard. It had on blue armor, and wielded a large sword. This creature was much taller than Charmander, but he prepared to face it.

"Greetings, courageous one, we shall honorably battle, here in this room. I was once legendary for my sword mastery as a knight, so prepare yourself!" the ghost said in a deep, heroic voice.

The knight charged forward keeping his shield ready. Charmander shot a few flamethrower blasts at him, but he deflected them with his shield. The knight charged in close, and prepared to swing his sword. Charmander dodged behind a rock formation, but the knight's powerful blow shattered the rock. Charmander jumped up, over the knight, landing behind him. His fire spin surrounded the knight, who was turning around as he was hit by the attack. The flames died down, but the knight remained, his armor smoking. Charmander did a quick roll to avoid a slice of the sword, but this left him open from the knight's other attack. The knight hit Charmander with his shield, and Charmander landed on his back. He tried to get up, but was unable to, since the knight now stood over him with his sword pointed down, right at Charmander's neck.


	11. Chapter 10: A Living Legend

Chapter 10: A Living Legend

After being placed on the crystal, the cave faded away. A vision appeared, and I watched intently as it became clearer. Around me were many destroyed homes, all flaming from whatever had just happened here. Smoke was thick in the air obscuring everything but the glow of flames in the distance. There was a paved road and sidewalks, but these were cracked and broken. Down the road, something enshrouded in the smoke blasted more flames. I moved down the road, and came upon a fallen street sign. Looking at this sign, I suddenly realized where I was. This was my neighborhood back in the human world! What had happened? I ran quickly down the street towards where my house was.

Running quickly I soon caught up with what was destroying the homes. A large group of pokemon moved slowly down the road, demolishing everything around. Since this was a vision, they could not see me, and so I ran ahead. My home was ahead, but the lawn was uncut and the cars were gone. Still hoping to see my family, I ran inside. Once inside, my home now was lifeless and abandoned. I looked around for a while, but it was depressing. My family was not there, and they had taken all the important and valuable items that could be transported easily. The couches, beds, and other furniture were still around, but it seemed so empty.

As I had been searching the house, the group of pokemon had come close to my home. It started shaking as it was hit by the first attacks. I went back outside as it burst into flames, and soon collapsed. My house was one of the last ones in the neighborhood, and soon none were left standing. The pokemon paused for a minute, and soon a Murkrow flew up.

"Nerezzik orders you to head to the next part of the city, and begin destroying that," the Murkrow relayed to the others.

They moved off into the smoke, and as they did the vision faded away, and I was back at the cave again.

"I hope that was not too traumatic for you, Mudkip," said the princess, "You have passed your trial, but it will remain with you. I am Princess Geneva, and was forced to face something similar to what you just did. I have the power to see and reveal visions of the future to others at certain times. I have retained this power even as a ghost, and now I remain here to help guard the shrine of light. Here take this seal, you will need it to reach the shrine."

She handed me a golden seal, but I still wanted to ask her some questions.

"Wait, princess, I have many questions after that vision."

"That is usual, since most of the visions I reveal show perplexing or terrible events."

"Is there any way to change what will happen?"

"Yes, there is always a way to change the future, but it will be difficult. The closer a future and the more people involved, the harder it is to change. There may still be time to save your world, since I can not tell when the events of the vision will take place."

"I have one more question. Do you know how the pokemon got into the human world?"

"Yes, I do. It is part of the ancient tale of the seven heroes. I will let the guardian of light, who rests at the shrine, tell you that tale, though, since my energy is now low. As a ghost, I can still affect the physical world and use my powers, but it exhausts the energy of my soul quickly. Farewell, Mudkip."

The ghost of the princess faded away, and the I heard the gate open down the hallway. I thought deeply on what had just happened as I walked back to the other room.

As I had been completing my trial, Ninetales had completed his. He had thought about the last riddle long and hard before realizing the answer.

"The stars is the answer," he replied to the ghost.

"Good, you have now completed the trial, but I do wish to speak with you before you go," said the ghost of the sage, "Your knowledge and wisdom are great, I have only met a few pokemon as wise as you. I was once a sage who could use magic. I can sense you also can create seals and curses, but I believe you still can learn more about using the powers of magic. Here take this seal and this book. The seal will help you open the door to the shrine, and the book will teach you more about using the powers of magic that you seem to possess. Use what it teaches you wisely, and you will be able to awaken the bringer of light once more. I must go now though, since I can't spend much time in this world due to being a spirit."

Ninetales watched the ghost fade away, and was very curious about the book he had been given. The book was large, heavy, and ancient. He was about to set it down to read it, when he heard the gate open. Ninetales decided to see about the others before reading this book, so he headed back to the room with the door. The other two gates were still closed when Ninetales returned, so he placed the seal in one of the three places on the door. It flashed and melded with the door, but nothing else happened, since all three were needed to open the door. All Ninetales could do now was wait so he opened the sage's book.

The book was written in a language that Ninetales had not seen before. He couldn't read the words as they were written, but as he concentrated on the symbols the meanings became clear to him. The book was about the powers of magic, and taught about its uses. Ninetales read the opening, and soon reached the first lesson. It was a spell to show a past event, and Ninetales studied it a few times. Soon he felt ready to try it, and started the incantations. He completed the words of magic, and suddenly three pokemon were walking into the room. It was himself, Mudkip, and Charmander, but they were only a pale image of what had happened before. Ninetales ended the spell, and felt that a little of the magic contained in his tails had been drained. Ninetales was about to start reading the book some more, but one of the other gates opened and I walked out of it.

I walked into the room, and saw Ninetales with a new book.

"So you completed your test already, Ninetales?"

"Yes, it wasn't too difficult, I just had to do puzzles and riddles. Afterward, the old sage's ghost gave me this book."

"That's cool, I am still recovering from my trial. I saw a vision of the future, but it was terrible. I don't want to talk about it right now."

Thinking of the vision gave me chills. I did not know where my family went or why my world was being destroyed. I did know that I had to try to stop this future from happening, though, so I renewed my resolve to defeat Nerezzik. Ninetales was too wrapped up in his book, and I in my thoughts, so we didn't talk any more as we awaited Charmander to return.

Charmander was in trouble. The knight stood above him, with its weapon pointed downward. Charmander was afraid of what was going to happen next, when the knight stepped back.

"You'll have to do better to defeat me," said the knight, "Looks like I win round one. I was once the captain of Princess Geneva's guard, and I honed my swordsmanship in my travels with her. One of your companions will meet her spirit, but looks like you get to fight me until you win. I am Sir Palladius. Well, enough talk for now, Charmander, get ready for our second match."

Charmander and the knight took positions again, and started battling once more. From the first battle, Charmander knew his flame would not work on the knight, so he would have to beat him with his claws. This time the knight moved forward, attacking first with a quick thrust. Charmander avoided the hit, and attacked the side of the knight with his slash attack. Surprisingly the armor the ghost wore shimmered as his claws passed through it, and the ghost seemed to have taken some damage. A low sweeping attack from the knight hit Charmander, leaving him numb in his legs where the phantom blade hit him. Charmander could not move as well now, but stumbled forward. He unleashed a metal claw as he jumped upward, and the attack went across the knight's chest. The knight grew even weaker, and stopped the battle as he started fading away.

"Good job, brave one," Sir Palladius complimented, "As a ghost I can only take a few physical attacks before it starts to disrupt my form. When I was alive, I was able to endure long battles and injuries, but now my power is just a shadow of what it once was. Charmander, you have great strength. Even if a battle seems lost, if you have determination and endurance, you can turn the tides. Farewell now, I must go."

The knight's spirit faded away, and a golden seal dropped from where it stood. Charmander picked this up and moved slowly back to the other cavern, since his legs were still cold from the where the spirit's blade had struck.

Charmander's gate opened and I went to see if he was okay after his trial. He was moving slowly, and as I helped him to the room, he told about his battle with the knight. The three of us ate some of our food, and soon Charmander's legs had returned to normal. We placed the other two seals in their spots, and both flashed and stuck into the stone. The three seals began to glow, and the door slid sideways. Rays of sunlight shone down from another archway that was at the top of a set of stairs, and the three of us climbed up into the light.

We were now above the clouds that covered most of the lower mountain. Above us were the jagged tips of the mountains, and below us were the clouds, forests, and cliffs from before. There was a small stream with a cobblestone path beside it, which we started following. After a short walk we arrived at the shrine of light. It was a beautiful structure. It consisted of a large crystal dome supported by many marble archways around it. We walked under the crystal, which refracted the light into many colors and patterns. In the center the pattern formed a symbol on a small platform. The symbol looked like a pokemon, and I touched the platform as I moved to get a closer look. Suddenly there was a bright flash of light, and the pokemon that had been in the pattern appeared. It stood on two legs, and had blue, black, and white fur.

He stood up, and after looking us over, began to speak, "Greetings, fellow pokemon, I am the guardian of light, Lucario."

"Wow, you are Lucario?" Charmander said, amazed, "You are a hero to pokemon everywhere."

"My past deeds did indeed save many, young Charmander. I sense that this Mudkip is not quite a pokemon, though. Tell me, why did you awaken me?" Lucario answered.

I replied, "We are here to stop Nerezzik, who has come once again and now spreading his control over the pokemon in this world. Aren't you the bringer of light who defeated him, like in the legends?"

Lucario spoke once again, "I am only part of those who defeated Nerezzik last time, and if he has returned we will have a difficult road ahead of us. However, the bringer of light that you have heard about is not me. It is another pokemon called Aureolus. I am the guardian of light, and Aureolus chose me to guard this world from danger. One year ago, I was awakened by the coming disaster and sent the spirit of Gardevoir to find someone to help save this world. I watched from here as you two overcame many challenges to save this world. With the world safe once more, I returned to the crystal to rest once again. Nerezzik should not have awakened at all, so something must have gone wrong after the meteor was destroyed. Perhaps while the world's balance was disrupted, the seal holding him was weakened somehow. It seems like the tales of how he was defeated have been changed over time, though, so I will tell you how we defeated him the first time."

Lucario began his tale, "Ages ago, both humans and pokemon lived on this world. Both humans and pokemon have their flaws, though, and problems were common. There was an evil king of the humans, who abused his subjects, and soon they began to rebel. Seeing this rebellion, the king wished to control his people absolutely, and he gathered in those experienced in the dark magic. The king worked with these dark wizards, and he tried to create a pokemon that would control the people. They fused the power taken from a psychic pokemon with their dark magic, and created Nerezzik. Nerezzik developed and grew over the years, but the king grew impatient as his subjects continued rebelling. After an assassination attempt, the king was furious. He started pushing Nerezzik to see if it could control the people as the king had intended. Nerezzik did develop the power to control pokemon, but could not control the humans. This made the king furious, so he would abuse Nerezzik, who started to hate and resent the king. The rebels also had gained power in the years that Nerezzik was developing, and soon they launched an attack on the castle. They defeated the evil king, and came upon Nerezzik in the castle's basement. They knew about the evil king's project, and so they attacked. Nerezzik, still young and not possessing the power it does now, was injured and fled. It escaped from being killed by the rebels, but was injured, alone, and now hated all humans.

Nerezzik became stronger as it wandered the world for years. Its hatred of humans still raged in its heart, so it began to gain control over other pokemon. It built up armies, and planned to use them for revenge on the humans. Nerezzik's forces grew and soon only the strongest pokemon were not under its control. With this powerful army, Nerezzik launched his attack on the humans. It destroyed their villages, towns, and castles with its armies, killing any people who did not escape. The humans were continually forced to retreat and flee, and seemed doomed as they lost more in every battle.

During this time, Aureolus came to help the world, and gathered six others who were fighting against Nerezzik. These seven became know as the seven heroes. The leader was Aureolus, whose power could dispel darkness and protect others from Nerezzik's control forever. Aureolus then was met by a princess and her knight, who were guided by the princess's visions to seek Aureolus. These two were known as Princess Geneva and Sir Palladius. Their spirits now help protect this shrine, and you met them before you came to me. The three continued, but they still did not have the power to oppose all of Nerezzik's army. They looked for others to aid them on their quest, and tried to help the other humans, who were under continuous attack by Nerezzik. They then ran into me and my rescue team. We had been contacted by the people to help defend a city against Nerezzik's army. I and my partner, a Charizard named Draconis, had been fighting for several days to defend the humans and pokemon that lived in the city. We were getting worn down after several days of fighting, and all seemed lost. We fought against the coming pokemon, but were almost to lose. Aureolus, the princess, and the knight came to our aid. These three helped us, and the dark forces that Nerezzik had sent to destroy the city were defeated. Aureolus freed the pokemon that were defeated from Nerezzik's control, and we were celebrated as heroes in the town."

"Wait, the Charizard was named Draconis?" Charmander interrupted, "That is my name, as well. It has been passed down in my family for generations, since it was the name of a great hero who started our part of the Charizard clan. I didn't know his story until now, please, tell us more, Lucario."

"You seem to have the same determination and strength your ancestor had, Charmander," replied Lucario, "I will now continue the story. With our victory we had defeated a small division of Nerezzik's forces, and it was the first victory anyone had won against his dark armies. We looked for more strong people to help us fight Nerezzik, and as we fought more defensive battles we found two more who wanted to join us. These two were the mysterious sage and a pokemorph. The sage never gave anyone his name, but he seems to have given you, Ninetales, his book of magic. The pokemorph, named Jade, was one of few humans who possessed a special ability to change into a pokemon when he wanted to. You, Mudkip, are probably descended from this pokemorph, since you were able to change into a pokemon. I can teach you to change back into a person, if you wish, since I saw how Jade did this, but let me finish my story first.

The seven of us became a powerful team known as the seven heroes. We led the fight against Nerezzik, and soon Aureolus had freed most of the pokemon under Nerezzik's control. Nerezzik met us with his remaining forces, for a final battle. The powers of light and dark clashed, but Aureolus and Nerezzik were evenly matched. The princess also could heal others, and used that power to help us in our battle. Nerezzik's remaining forces were the legendary birds and the legendary dogs, and all of us, besides Aureolus, fought against these remaining forces. They were too powerful for us, and as we were almost defeated, Aureolus came up with a plan to save the rest of us. Using its power, Aureolus blasted a deep hole into the ground, and sealed Nerezzik and his powers away inside this hole, which became known as The Abyss. Aureolus needed to focus to keep this seal, but everyone else was free from Nerezzik. The humans only had a small portion of their original population left afterward, and wished for a new home to start over again. Aureolus used his remaining powers to grant this request, and opened a portal to another world. Aureolus went to live in the place between worlds, known as the temple of light. Between the worlds, Aureolus could better hold the seal over Nerezzik, and could observe both worlds from this place he created. The humans went through the portal to another world, leaving this world and all pokemon behind them.

The seal stopped Nerezzik, until now, and so we must gather a force to defeat Nerezzik once again. We should seek out Aureolus first, since he can protect and free others from Nerezzik's control, even if they fall in battle. Now, I will teach you to use your pokemorph abilities, Mudkip. What is your name as a human?"

"My name as a human is Ben," I replied.

"Okay, now here is what you must say to turn into a human: 'I am Ben, the human, this is who I am'."

I repeated the phrase, and suddenly found myself changed. I was much taller, and had clothes once again, and had blonde hair now. Charmander was only about a third of my height as well, and looked up at me.

"Wow, you're the second person I've seen, but the first was a ghost," Charmander said, "I think you look funny, though, you should be Mudkip again. I didn't know people were so tall."

Lucario spoke again, "If you want to change back, simply say: 'I am Mudkip, the pokemon, this is who I am'. Pokemorphs can change into either form at will, but they can only change into one type of pokemon. Use this new power wisely, Ben. It seems to be getting late now, so you three may stay here for the night. We will be safe here, protected by the mountain and ghosts that live on it."

I spoke the phrase to turn into a Mudkip, and was changed back. The sun was setting again, and we ate dinner and drank from the cool mountain stream. We conversed more about our travels, and about Nerezzik's current power, and soon the time to speak with Alakazam arrived again. Ninetales readied himself to hear the message and we waited.

Back at pokemon square, Nerezzik had been busy creating a new fortress. Instead of the buildings that were once there, Nerezzik had made a new castle out of black stone. Its jagged tops jutted against the sky, like claws grasping the heavens. In his renovations, Nerezzik had found an interesting item. Inside the rescue team base outside of town Nerezzik had found an ancient music box that the team had left there. Nerezzik could sense it had some connection to the humans, and so he had been searching. Nerezzik was trying to find where the humans had gone, but the only one was that Mudkip he had faced earlier. He sent out search groups to find where Mudkip or the other humans had gone, but so far he only had one promising lead. There was the remains of some of the human cities hidden near the Buried Relic, and so Nerezzik was preparing to go there. Nerezzik had lost his special forces and Mudkip when Team ACT failed to come back, so that had set his plans back a little bit. A Mudkip and his friends were hardly a threat now, though. Nerezzik's focus shifted to finding the other humans that had escaped him before. Surely the few thousand left would have survived and multiplied somewhere, and Nerezzik was determined to find this place so he could destroy them once and for all. His old nemesis, Aureolus, was also nowhere to be found, which worried and relieved Nerezzik at the same time. He prepared for his journey, and the next morning Nerezzik and his personal guards left to find the other humans.


	12. Chapter 11: Sun and Sand

Chapter 11: Sun and Sand

Ninetales again received a psychic message from Alakazam. This time, the distance was starting to weaken the communication between their minds. Ninetales only could receive a few words before the link broke.

"Nerezzik is on the move," was the only part of the message we received from Alakazam.

With this news, we started planning our route for the coming days.

"If Nerezzik is on the move, then we will have to act quickly," explained Lucario, "We don't know where he is going, so we must always be on the lookout. We must find Aureolus. The portal between worlds is called The Radiant Gate. To open this gate, several keys are required. Aureolus created four parts, and gave them to powerful pokemon to guard. Three of them were hidden in the remains of the humans last city here, and are made of ice, rock, and steel. The fourth part is the fire orb, which is guarded by the Charizard clan. The portal itself lies in the deepest parts of the ruins of the human city, since it was from there that they left to their new world. Since the fire orb is farther away, we should go get it first."

"That's a great plan," commented Charmander, "We will get to visit my clan. It will be exciting to see them again. Lucario, I think we already found the other three parts once, and they formed into a music box. I remember that day clearly, since it was when Mudkip disappeared a year ago. Mudkip and I had been exploring this place called the Buried Relic, and had fought three powerful pokemon, each of which gave us a part. These three parts made a music box, which we carried with us. As we moved deeper into the ruins, we ran into the legendary pokemon, Mew. Mew then teleported away, along with Mudkip. I guess Mew somehow returned you to your world. Your disappearance was a terrible time for me. You were my best friend, and I searched in those ruins for many days. I never found you, though, which caused me sorrow for a while. I'm glad you are back now, though, Mudkip. It has been so much better with you here."

"Yes, together we are strong," I replied.

"Well, what happened to the music box?" Lucario asked.

"I used to have it in the human world," I said, "When I returned here, I left it at our team base. Oh no! That means Nerezzik might have it now, since he controls pokemon square. If that is true, what will we do?"

"Not all missions need to be done by battle, Mudkip," Lucario answered, "If Nerezzik has it, we will need to go through a new dangerous mission. We may be able to sneak into the base, and if Team ACT and the legendary birds help us, then we could cause enough of a distraction to get it. Nerezzik recently left his base, according to Alakazam, so we might be able to get it without facing him. Either way, we should all get some rest, since our journey will be long and difficult."

Lucario was right, it was time for some rest. We had just been through a long and difficult day, and the future didn't seem to be getting any easier. I was tired, and soon I was asleep, despite my worries about the future I had seen in the vision.

After one day of searching, Nerezzik had been very successful. In his search of the ruins of the human city, he had gained several things. The first were three pokemon called Regirock, Regice, and Registeel.

Nerezzik and his group had been exploring deeper into some ruins when they ran into these pokemon. Powerful enough to defeat some of Nerezzik's personal guard, Nerezzik and his top fighter were forced to battle. These three fell to the darkness, but did give Nerezzik some trouble. A little damage was dealt, but now Nerezzik had these three. Scanning their minds, Nerezzik learned a little bit about the ancient portal that his nemesis had created. This new discovery inspired Nerezzik to explore even faster, and soon they ran into another legendary pokemon.

As Nerezzik was searching the ruins, Lucario, Ninetales, Charmander, and I had started our journey to the southern volcano. It was an excellent place to go, since there we could get support from the Charizard and Ninetales clans. Getting the fire orb was our main priority, but I also wanted to see the Swampert clan that Charmander had mentioned.

We started our journey early, and by midmorning the foggy slopes of the mystic mountains were behind us. According to Ninetales, there was going to be plains for a while, but later there would be a desert. After the desert we would reach the southern sea, and could follow the coastline to the volcano.

For several hours we walked across the plains. The long grass blew in waves as the powerful gusts of wind would pass. There were also many wild pokemon in the plains. As we walked along, we passed a colony of Diglett and Dugtrio, which popped out of their holes to see us pass by. There were also some Zigzagoons who were chasing each other playfully through the grass. This world seemed so peaceful and beautiful when there was no disasters or evil pokemon around.

As we continued on the ground seemed to be getting drier. Ninetales stopped us at a watering hole for lunch.

"This will be the last water for quite a while," Ninetales said, "The next place will be an oasis in the desert. We should reach there by nightfall if we continue on at this pace."

We each drank our fill, and we started again. The grass grew less and less as we continued on, and soon there was only white sand. The sun beat down upon us, and the dry air started to get to me. As a water pokemon that lives in the swamps, I needed a moist climate to be very comfortable. The dry air and heat of the desert dried out my skin, and soon it became very painful and itchy.

"My skin, it can't take this anymore," I gasped, "It itches so bad."

I stopped and started scratching my cheek, and the dry cracked skin began to bleed a little.

"You look really bad Mudkip, perhaps we should find another way if this is going to happen to you," said Charmander.

"Think of your powers, Mudkip," Lucario replied, "You may not be able to cross the desert as you are now, but there is another way."

"Of course," I said with a sigh of relief, "I can turn into a human with my ability. That way we will be able to cross the desert."

I turned back into a human, which made me feel much better. I was wearing the t-shirt and jeans that I had on the night that Gardevoire had brought me back. The heat no longer affected me as much now, but I still began to sweat as we continued on. I used my rescue team scarf to protect my head from sunburn, but I had nothing to protect my feet from the hot sand. Lucario also seemed a little tired from the heat, but Charmander and Ninetales seemed energized by it.

"Doesn't the heat wear you out, Ninetales and Charmander?" I asked.

"No, I love it!" replied Charmander happily.

"We are fire type, so this heat strengthens us," explained Ninetales.

"Okay, but you should be aware that me and Lucario get worn out by it."

The heat continued to be exhausting, and I was thirsty and tired as we walked through the afternoon sun. Soon there began to be pokemon, which we hadn't seen in anywhere else in the desert.

"We must be close to the oasis," said Ninetales, "There are many more pokemon that live close to it."

We moved on with renewed vigor now that we would soon have water. The pokemon that were around would often start following us when they saw me, since I was a human. We kept moving on, with many pokemon following, and soon the oasis was before us in the setting sun. The water was orange from the suns relection, and the several palm trees provided a little shade.

We rushed forward to the water, and I changed back into a Mudkip, and jumped in the water. I drank up several mouthfuls of water, and swam around happily. The other three were on the shore, also getting drinks of water. I swam back to the shore, and got out of the water. The pokemon that had seen me as a human had come up and were asking the others what I was out of curiosity. We told them the truth, and they left to go about their business afterward. We were just about to get out our dinner when something started emerging from the lake.

"A human here at my oasis?" roared a large Gyarados that had come to the surface of the water. "Are you the human who helped save the world a year ago?"

"Yes, I am," I replied, "What do you want?"

"I see you are now a pokemon again," the Gyarados continued, "I want to see how powerful you are, if you were able to fight Rayquaza, Groudon, and those others. Face me, one on one, or you will have no peace while at my oasis."

I decided to accept the battle so that we would be able to rest peacefully afterward.

"Okay Gyarados, I will fight you. It will be a water battle, are you ready?"

I swam out into the lake, and the two of us prepared to battle. I opened with a water gun, and Gyarados used a similar attack. The two blasts of water hit each other, and water droplets splashed over everything around. I swam forward, and hit Gyarados with a tackle attack. Gyarados responded with a bite. The bite hit my tail, but didn't do too much damage. I planned my next moves quickly, but Gyarados decided to go all out. Energy started gathering around his mouth, and I used protect right before the attack was unleashed. The hyper beam shot towards me, and I hoped that protect would work this time, since it isn't always dependable. The powerful beam hit, but protect had worked. I was still pushed backwards through the water, but I didn't take any damage. Gyarados was out of energy after the attack, so I began a whirlpool attack. Around and around Gyarados I swam, and I went faster and faster. I then propelled myself away from the whirlpool I had made, but Gyarados was at its center. He was sucked down, and hit the bottom of the oasis several times. The whirlpool died down and shortly afterward Gyarados emerged from the water again. He looked a bit bruised now and seemed humbled from his defeat.

"Well done, Mudkip, you are powerful. You may stay the night here with my protection," he said.

"Thank you Gyarados, that was a good battle," I replied, "it will be good to have someone to watch over our rest."

Gyarados continued talking with us, and we told him about why we were traveling. He was also excited to meet the legendary Lucario. Out of hospitality, Gyarados gave us some of his food, and we had a good meal. We were all tired after the long day, and so rest came easily again.

Back at the Buried Relic, Nerezzik confronted this new pokemon. It was pink and playful, and it was called Mew. At first it tried to hide from Nerezzik by teleporting and transforming into other pokemon. This game annoyed Nerezzik, and so he called on his special weapon to help him.

Nerezzik's special weapon was the pokemon that had helped him escape from the seal that Aureolus had placed upon him. Its name was Deoxys. Nerezzik had tried to escape for ages, but could not until the meteor that housed Deoxys crashed into his prison. Nerezzik defeated this pokemon easily after it was weakened from the impact. Together with it, he had been able to escape from that place called The Abyss.

Deoxys was Nerezzik's special guard, and so he and Deoxys now went after this Mew. It could not teleport and hide much longer, and so it now faced Nerezzik, Deoxys, and the Regis. The Regis each shot a blast at the Mew. Using its psychic powers, the blasts were turned back, and hit those who had shot them. Nerezzik used his dark attacks, and Deoxys used its attacks. Against these two, Mew was being overpowered. The Mew fought desperately and unleashed its psychic attacks everywhere. The three Regis were unable to continue, and Deoxys also began to weaken. Nerezzik alone took no damage, and finished off the Mew with a powerful dark blast. Nerezzik now gained control over Mew, and he studied its mind as his servants brought some berries and reviver seeds for his group.

"So, Mew, you can transform, teleport, and have powerful psychic abilities," Nerezzik said as he examined his new recruit. "I do believe you will prove very useful to me. Are you ready to accept your mission?"

"Yes, I am ready," replied the Mew, in a voice that was now devoid of the playfulness that it had once had.

Nerezzik could think of many uses for this Mew, but decided that it would help him find where the humans had gone. After asking it about humans, the Mew showed Nerezzik the way to the portal. His plans were proceeding, and Nerezzik continued on with greater confidence than before.

The next day, Gyarados awoke me, Charmander, Lucario, and Ninetales in the dim light before dawn. He had been keeping watch all night, and awoke us early so we could start our journey during the cool morning. We had a final breakfast with Gyarados, and after a short farewell, we were off. I changed into a human once again, since it was easier to go through the desert that way. We continued onward across the white sands, and the sun rose into the sky. It was hot, but as we kept going a nice breeze smelling of the sea started blowing. Soon we could see the ocean and the end of the desert.

We reached the seashore, and I changed back into Mudkip. The rest of the group walked along the beach, while I swam in the ocean. We continued along the shore, and soon a mountain with a small stream of smoke coming out of it was ahead. The southern volcano was inactive, but still had many lava currents that warmed the stones. Charmander seemed very excited and possibly a bit nervous as we approached.

As soon as we neared the part of the Volcano that the Charizard clan lived on, two Charizards flew down.

"This is the domain of the Charizard clan, and we do not allow all pokemon here. Only the Charmander may enter, unless the rest of you have something important to do," said the larger of the two.

"Wait, these are my friends. Can't they enter as well?" Charmander asked.

"No, since the events at pokemon square, the elders have forbid other pokemon from entering," replied the Charizard.

"Tell the elders that I have the legendary Lucario with me, and we are here for a very important purpose, also tell them that Draconis has returned," pleaded Charmander.

"We will see what their decision is," decided the Charizard.

One of the Charizard went to tell the elders, while the other waited with us. Soon a larger group approached on foot, made up of several Charizards, a few Charmeleons, and one Charmander. Draconis was particularly happy to see this Charmander, since he kept looking at her while the group approached. As they approached, I could tell this Charmander had a slightly pink hue, and was about as large as Draconis. Soon, she came running up, and both she and Draconis embraced quickly.

"Welcome back, Draconis," she greeted joyfully, "I've missed you so much!"

This brief greeting was all they had time for, and the rest of the group arrived.


	13. Chapter 12: Family and Friends

Chapter 12: Family and Friends

The Charmeleon and most of the Charizard formed two lines facing each other, and at the end was the largest of the Charizard. I could tell this was one of the elders that Draconis had spoken of. He seemed to be an old Charizard, as his colors seemed to be grayed and faded. His body also had many scars, with the most prominent one near his right eye. He looked to be very powerful, and he began to speak.

"Greetings visitors, I have come to decide if you will be allowed into our domain. I will determine if our laws will let you enter, so step forth."

He slowly looked us over with an intimidating gaze, but we stood undaunted. After his inspection he seemed to have reached some decisions already, and began speaking in his powerful voice once more.

"After looking you over, it is obvious that only some of you may enter, but we will not be inhospitable to the rest of you. Draconis, it is good you have returned, and as a clan member you are free to come and go. As for the rest of you, I will tell you what shall be done. Lucario, in honor of your past deeds and your service to this world, you may enter. I suspect you need something of us or you would not have come. Ninetales, we will not let you enter, you are an elder of your own clan, who live nearby, so we will provide you an escort to there, as well as relay any important messages, should the need arise. Mudkip, you will not be allowed to enter as well. You are both a water type and a human, so we will not let you enter. There is a nearby Swampert clan, though, and we will escort you to them, if you so desire. You probably have not been among a clan before, so I suggest you go there. Like Ninetales, we will also relay any important messages from your friends. That is my decision as one of the Charizard elders, and anything contrary to it will be punished. That is all, I will be leaving now"

"Thank you, elder," replied Charmander, "Your decision is wise. We will discuss your proposals now, and thank you for your hospitality."

Most of the Charizard and Charmeleon moved back towards the cliffs and beach that they had come from. The other Charmander as well as a few Charmeleon stayed. We gathered to discuss what we were going to do, now that we had heard the elder's decision.

Ninetales was the first to speak, "The plan that the elder had suits me well, since I do wish to return to my clan for a while. I still have that book of magic the spirit gave me, but have not had time to study it, since we have been traveling until sunset each day. I will go back to my home, and hopefully come back with new knowledge and power."

Pondering the plan, I spoke up next, "I think I would like to go see the Swampert clan, since I have never been among other pokemon of my same type. So, I guess we'll be going now, so see you later, Charmander and Lucario."

"That sounds like a good plan, everyone," complimented Draconis, "Before you go, I would like you all to meet my old friend Charmandra. I told you a little bit about her awhile ago, but now I would like you to meet her."

"Nice to meet you all," Charmandra replied, "I have heard a little bit about all of you from the events of last year. It's good to see you are all friends with Draconis."

After this brief introduction, Lucario decided to speak, "Since we are splitting up, we should plan when to meet up again. I think getting the fire orb will take three days at most, so we will meet here at that time. It has been ages since I have been here, but not too much has changed. Use your time wisely, and be back here in three days."

After a brief farewell to Draconis, Lucario, and Charmandra, Ninetales and I went separate ways, with the Charmeleons escorting us. Two of them came with me, and the others went with Ninetales.

The two Charmeleons came with me, and led the way to a river that was northwest of the volcano. Rather than the grass that was near the beach, we now were in a jungle. Apparently there was a path the Charmeleon knew, which they followed. The trees were thick, and the air was moist, which was perfect for me. There were thick vines and a canopy overhead, so that the sunlight came through in small patches here or there. This jungle was full of other pokemon, and their calls and voices could sometimes be heard.

The Charmeleons led the way, using their claws or flames to remove brush that had grown over the path. This slowed us down a little, but we still moved quickly. The leader of the two said that the place I was going was not much further, and we continued on through the thick plants. As we moved along, I was suddenly caught by a vine. Struggling to get free, I was suddenly lifted up by the vine, and I realized that it belonged to a pokemon. A Victreebel emerged from the undergrowth, but both the Charmeleon moved quickly to free me from its grasp. One used flamethrower while the other moved in and slashed at the Victreebel. These attacks knocked it out, and we continued on with a little more caution.

Soon the air grew even more moist, and the murky smell of a swamp wafted through the air. As we approached the swamp, the Charmeleon that had been my escorts stopped.

"This is as far as we go," explained the one who had been leading the way, "The Swampert clan live in this swamp and the surrounding waters, and our clan does not have the best of relations with them. It would be better if we did not enter their territory, so you will have to go on alone."

"A wise choice, you fiery Charmeleons," replied a new voice, "You should leave, and I thank you for escorting that Mudkip back to here."

A Marshtomp jumped out of the water, and landed nearby spraying a little bit of water all over both the Charmeleons. They both looked annoyed at this, but left me alone with the Marshtomp.

"Hello, Mudkip, how is it that you were being escorted by those pokemon?" he asked.

"To be honest, I've never been here before now. My friend is a Charmander, but they wouldn't let me stay with their clan, so they offered to escort me here."

"That's odd that you've never been here before. I thought almost all the Mudkip came from this place, which is called the Swampert Swamp. It was nice of the Charizard clan to escort you here, they usually don't give that much help, especially to water pokemon. You must be important if they did that for you. Wait, I know! Your dark blue coloring must mean you are the Mudkip that helped save the world one year ago! You are a hero here! Why have you never visited here before?"

"Well I just learned about the pokemon clans a short while ago, so I had no idea this place existed."

"What a shame. You are going to love it here, it is the perfect place for Mudkip, Marshtomp, and Swampert. Come on, I'll take you to the elders and show you around."

I followed this friendly Marshtomp into the swamp. Along the swamp were small pathways made out of trees, and we walked along these towards a central area that was raised from the rest of the swamp. Below us the swamp waters were calm and murky, and I could see many Mudkip, Marshtomp, and Swampert below. They seemed to be playing, talking, and gathering food, and they all looked calm and peaceful. The swamp seemed to be mostly mud, water, and plants, and the only dry area was the path we walked along.

Soon we were near the center of the swamp. There was a rock formation that looked like a large grey pillar that extended up out of the swamp. Water cascaded down the sides of this formation, and the top was covered in trees that had many types of fruit growing on them. The water flowing from this formation was clear, but joined the murky swamp waters below. We entered the grove of fruit trees on the top, and the path ended. Marshtomp led on through the grove, and the entire top of the rock formation was covered in water that was several inches deep. This water was cool and pure, and felt nice to walk through. At the center of the grove there was a circle of rock formations. Each of these formations was a small stairway with a flat top. From this top, water bubbled up, and in the center of the circle a large fountain gushed out water. There were six of the formations and on each one was seated a Swampert. As the Marshtomp and I approached all of the six turned to us. They each looked old and powerful, much like the Charizard elder I had met earlier.

"Greetings, Silt, I thought you had just gone to patrol the outer edges of the swamp," said one of the elders.

"Yes, elder, I did just go," replied the Marshtomp, "I was patrolling when I saw two Charmeleons come through the brush. I wanted to see what they were up to, and apparently they were escorting this Mudkip."

"At least they were doing something nice for a change, they usually keep to themselves and are too stubborn to care about others," commented the elder.

"I know elder," continued Silt, "I did find out why they were escorting a Mudkip, as well. This Mudkip is none other than Ben, the Mudkip who helped save the world from disaster a year ago."

The elders looked a little surprised, and the one started speaking again, "If we had known it was you, we would have had a better welcome. Your tale has inspired many here, and you are welcome here any time. Attendants, spread the news, and prepare a special dinner to greet our special guest and new honorary member of the Swampert clan, Ben. Have it ready, as the sun starts to set!"

Some other Mudkip, Marshtomp, and Swampert who had been gathered around the outside of the circle and the fountain left to follow the commands of the elders. The swamp seemed to have a new excitement about it. Pokemon rushed about, getting things ready for the meal. The elders continued speaking with me, asking me about my travels and the recent events at pokemon square. I told them some of my story, and they suggested that I tell my whole tale after the meal.

As the sun began to dip towards the horizon, the meal was ready. Before me lay a buffet of the most delicious looking fruits and berries. The elders said a few words about the event, but everyone had heard the news of my arrival. The meal began, and I grabbed a banana, a melon piece, and a kiwi fruit, and was just about to take my first bite when some of the other pokemon came and started to ask me questions. I started to answer, but the elders decided to stop this.

"Ben will tell you all about his travels, so let him enjoy his meal first, and enjoy your own meals as well," one of the elders suggested.

This allowed me to enjoy my meal without everyone questioning me, and I enjoyed the variety of foods they had. After eating many fruits and berries, I was very full. The sun was now setting, and as the meal ended, everyone gathered around to hear my tale. I told them of how I became a Mudkip, and what I went through during my travels with Charmander. I told them about the stuggles, trials, and triumphs that we went through to save the world. I also told them about my current journey to stop Nerezzik. The tales lasted a long time, and it was dark when I finished. They all seemed excited and inspired by the tales of how a Mudkip could help the world, and they all left happy. They all seemed to be talking about my tale, and they left for their homes in the swamp.

The elders told Silt to show me to a nice spot to rest for the night, and they each left for their homes as well.

"Your tale was awesome. I liked how your determination and friendship with the Charmander enabled you to overcome the opponents and hardships that you encountered," complimented Silt, "Come on, you can come stay with my family, they would be happy to give you a nice spot to sleep. Just follow me."

He led the way, and a short distance from the central rock formation, we descended from the tree paths to the swamp below. We swam through the warm and murky waters to a clump of bushes. This kind of bush grew all over the swamp. It had thick leaves that would keep out most of the wind and weather, and as we approached, I could see that the inside of the bush was roomy, since the branches only grew outward. These bushes also grew plentiful amounts of berries, which provided some food for those that lived inside.

"Wait here, I'll go see if my family is still awake," whispered Silt.

After a short while he returned, and whispered, "Okay, my parents were still awake, but you'll have to be careful not to awaken my younger brothers and sister. I have one younger sister, she is about the same age as you are, and my brothers are only 1 year old, and 2 years old. I am 10 years old, myself, and in a few years I may move out to start my own family. My sister is about 9 years old, which is about how old you look to me."

"Wait, I only look 9 years old?" I asked, surprised. "As a human, I was almost twice that age in years, but you are telling me that I am only nine years old as a pokemon?"

"I guess humans and pokemon age quite a bit differently. Most Mudkip become Swampert and are fully mature around age 13. Right now you would be considered an adolescent Mudkip. I guess when you became a pokemon your maturity is what mattered, rather than your age."

"Seems like there still is much to learn about pokemon, even though I've been a Mudkip for quite a while now. Thanks for the information, Silt."

"I'm glad I could help. Now let's go in quietly."

We entered the bushes, and inside of it was soft, moist ground. After a quiet greeting to Silt's parents, they told me to sleep anywhere I wanted. In one part of the bush was two very small Mudkips, and another that was about my size. They were all asleep. I picked a spot close to the entrance, and lay there. I dozed off to the peaceful stillness of the swamp, and slept very soundly.

As I went to the swamp, Ninetales had traveled to the forest that was up on the slopes of the volcano. He dismissed his two escorts, preferring to travel alone. He ran quickly up the old paths that he had been up many times through the years, and soon was home again. He was greeted by the Vulpix and Ninetales, and had dinner with some of his grandchildren and great grandchildren. Coming back here always made Ninetales remember his wife. She had died in a rockslide a few hundred years ago, but sometimes it felt like yesterday. Ninetales then decided to study his book to take his mind off of the painful memories that this place brought back. The sun was setting, so he only had a short time before night fell, and then he went to sleep.

Like me, Draconis had a warm welcome back home. The elders had him tell the clan his tale, and had a special meal in his honor. Lucario also told about some of his journeys, but then spent the rest of the night in meditation and sleep. Draconis was glad to be done telling the tale, since he wanted to spend time with his family and Charmandra. After spending a while visiting his mother and his siblings, Draconis left with Charmandra to their favorite spot. Both he and Charmandra now sat at the rocky ledge that Draconis liked to go to when he wanted to think about things. He sat in silence for a while, looking down at the cliffs, sand, and sea.

"I know coming back here reminds you of your father, Draconis," consoled Charmandra, "The last time we were here, you told me that you were going to make a rescue team to honor your father's memory. Your father was quite a hero, just like you are now. When the disasters started, he managed to stop most of our cliffs and caves from collapsing in the earthquakes. His sacrifice saved many, and his memory will live on. Do you remember what else happened before you left last time?"

"I wouldn't forget, and I still have the ruby you gave me," replied Draconis, "I hope you still have the one I gave you."

"Yes, I keep it at my home. So, what's bothering you now, Draconis?"

"It's nothing much. It just is strange that I left young and inexperienced before, but now I return as a hero."

"I always knew you would do great things, Draconis. I could tell by the conviction you had the day you left. You are truly a courageous hero, but I don't want you to get hurt. You could stay here with me, if you get tired of your travels."

"That would be nice Charmandra, but there is still so much to do. The world is still not safe, and until it is I will fight. You have always remained in my heart, Charmandra, and you still will when I must move on once more."

"You've always been in my heart, too. I will wait for you, and keep you in my heart when you must move on again. For now, you should calm yourself and relax during the few days you are here."

Draconis and Charmandra didn't speak much after that. They sat down next to each other, and looked out at the moon, stars, and sea.


	14. Chapter 13: Unsealing the Heart

Chapter 13: Unsealing the Heart

Nerezzik, with the newfound help of Mew, proceeded to the portal. At the end of the buried relic, the Mew revealed a hidden passage that led to another chamber. At the end of this shadowy passage was a large metal door there that blocked the way into the chamber, and so Nerezzik's group was forced to stop, stirring up the ancient dust as they waited.

"I can still smell the stench of the humans in this ancient dust. Mew, open this door!" Nerezzik commanded.

"Three parts are needed to open this door, but you have them all," replied Mew, "Give me the music box."

Nerezzik held out the music box, which levitated away under Mew's psychic powers. The box then separated into its three parts, which spun into their proper places in the metal door. The door started opening, causing the dust and dirt to fall from the ceiling. Brushing himself off, Nerezzik then walked forward into the strange light issuing from the door.

This new room smelled even more like humans, a smell which irritated Nerezzik. He looked around and saw that there was little in this room. A stairway leading to a raised platform and some inscriptions on the wall were all Nerezzik could see.

"I thought you said this was the portal, Mew!" shouted Nerezzik.

"This is the portal, master, but it seems that its power source, the fire orb, is not here," replied Mew.

"Do you know where it is then?"

"Yes, it was taken away ages ago by a Charizard. It is now with the Charizard clan."

"The Charizard clan has it? It would be a tough battle against them and the other clans of their area. Perhaps there is another way. Mew, I will need you to transform into a member of the Charizard clan, and try to get the fire orb for me. Use your teleporting powers, so that you can get there right away, and return with it by tonight."

"As you command, Nerezzik."

With that, Mew teleported near the Charizard clan's lands, and changed into a Charmeleon to avoid the notice of the others.

After my late night of telling my stories, I was sleeping deeply. I probably would have slept in until mid-morning had I not been suddenly awakened by a new and excited voice.

"Silt, you brought him here to stay the night with us without telling me!" chided a female voice.

"Sorry, sis, you were so peacefully asleep that I did not want to disturb you," Silt replied.

I started to get up to see who Silt was speaking to, and as I began stirring, they continued speaking.

"He's getting up now, how do I look?" the female asked.

"You look fine, Wave, settle down," Silt said.

I got up now, and Silt and the Mudkip that was his sister were both watching me.

"Good morning, Ben," greeted Silt, "Today you can…"

Cutting off Silt, his sister excitedly said, "Ben! I am so glad to finally meet you! I am Wave, Silt's sister."

Wave was a strong and healthy looking Mudkip. Instead of the usual orange, her cheeks were a creamy color instead. She seemed to be my size as well.

Silt continued where he had been cut off, "Today the elders want you to experience the swamp and see its inhabitants. They asked me to show you around some more, if you would like that as well."

"Wait, Silt, you could let me show Ben the swamp, and you could go back to your training and guard duties," Wave pleaded.

"Well that does seem reasonable, but I would rather show Ben around than be stuck patrolling all day."

"Please can I show him around? Brother, I will do a favor for you later if you let me do this."

"I guess I will let you, but what do you think about this, Ben?"

"It sounds like your other duties are important, Silt," I answered, "It will be fun to see the swamp with your sister, so I don't mind."

"Yay! This will be so exciting!" said Wave.

"Just don't get him into any trouble, Wave," teased Silt.

"I won't, brother. Now let's go get something for breakfast."

Before we headed out, Silt woke up his two younger brothers, Loam and Muddy, and the four of us headed out to get breakfast.

Outside of the bush, Silt's parents had gathered some of the berries for breakfast. As we came out, they called us over, and breakfast began.

"Good morning, Ben," greeted the Swampert that was Silt and Wave's father. "I hope you had a good rest and found our home comfortable. I am Reed, and this is my wife, Willow."

"Pleased to meet you," I replied.

"Nice to meet you too," Willow replied, "Now are all of you ready for breakfast?"

The berries that had been gathered were excellent, and as soon as we were done, Wave and I bid farewell to the rest of her family, and swam off into the warm waters of the swamp. We swam by the reeds and cattails that grew in the swamp, and headed towards the waterfalls of the central rock. The water near the rock was colder and clearer than the rest of the swamp, and as we neared the rock Wave picked up speed.

"Let's swim up the waterfall to that ledge," She said as she moved ahead.

With her speed and swimming power, she was able to swim halfway up the waterfall and exit onto a ledge.

Looking down at me, she yelled, "Come on up, the view from here is great!"

Gathering speed, I also swam up the waterfall, landing next to Wave. The cool mist from the waterfall floated down on us and the morning sun created a rainbow in the mist.

"I always come here each morning to enjoy the view," Wave commented, "It is a nice place to think, plan, and remember. Do you want to know what I'm thinking right now?"

"Sure, tell me what you are thinking," I replied.

"I am thinking that your blue coloring which is darker than most Mudkips is very handsome."

"Umm, thanks. Your cream colored cheeks are also very pretty."

"You should know that I've always wanted to meet you, Ben. Ever since I heard of a Mudkip helping to save the world, I've wanted to see what kind of pokemon that Mudkip was. I imagined him to be kind and strong just like you are."

"It is nice to be among my own kind and meet people like you, Wave. My resolve and personality were part of the reason I was brought here in the first place. Now shall we go see the swamp together?"

"Okay, let's go. First you should see the underwater part of the swamp. Follow me!"

She dove off the ledge and I followed. I splashed under the water, and followed her through the waters. Under the water, small plants waved with the current. Next we passed through the roots of a tree, which curled and twisted down into the swamp's bottom. We continued swimming underwater until Wave found an underwater plant with golden berries growing on it. She picked some, and I did as well. We then both swam over to a log, and sat on it.

"I hoped you liked the underwater part of the swamp," Wave began, "These berries we picked are some of the best in the world. You should try one."

I ate one of the berries and immediately felt stronger. The berry also had a tangy and delicious flavor.

"These are citrus berries. They improve health so much that it improves endurance," Wave explained.

We ate the rest of the berries that we picked, and Wave showed me around the swamp some more. First, we traveled across the swamp to where the water flowed out of it. A large river began from the slow waters of the swamp. After the river, we then went to the part of the swamp where the Mudkip played. Wave explained that in the mornings, the parents would teach their children, but in the afternoons they would come here. A large mossy tree that could be climbed easily formed a natural playground. Some of the low roots and branches were slick, and forming slides leading down into the waters.

"Come on, let's go have some fun!" said Wave, excitedly.

We climbed the tree and slid down some of the different branches, and also played with the other Mudkip. They played tag and hide-and-seek, and my speed helped me avoid being caught. We spent a few hours playing, but I wanted to see more of the swamp, so around mid-afternoon we left.

We next went to a large mud flat where many others were sunbathing. The others were mostly old Swampert, but we joined them anyway. The mud was warm, and I sat in it, relaxing. Wave also was relaxing in the mud, and I found myself thinking about her. She was a nice and strong Mudkip, and she seemed to be very attracted to me. It would be nice to stay with her here in the swamp, but there was still so much more I had to go do. Nerezzik still was not defeated, and there was that vision the princess had shown me. Perhaps, after my journey I could return.

It was now late afternoon, and Wave led us to part of the swamp where many different types of flowers were in bloom.

"This is the flower garden," she explained, "You are supposed to pick a flower for the pokemon you come with, and then the head florist will tell you what that flower means for your future. Want to try it?"

"Sounds fun, I'll give it a try."

We both walked to separate parts of the garden, trying to choose a flower that we think would be good for the other. I picked an orchid that had a white outside that transitioned to yellow and then purple in the center. I took it to the head florist, who was a very old Swampert. Shortly after, Wave arrived carrying the flower she had chosen.

The head florist examined my flower, and replied, "You have chosen the Sunrise Orchid. This means your feelings are beginning to develop for the one you care about, but that there is still a long ways to go before they are truly realized."

Turning to Wave, the florist examined her choice, which was a blossom of brilliant crimson with blue stripes. She then explained this choice.

"You have chosen the Fire Lily. This means that your feelings towards the one you care about are burning within you, but are also controlled. Now do you two want to encase your flowers in special orbs that will preserve them? It only costs 500 poke per flower."

Wave looked sad as she said, "I wish I had that much to spend, but I don't really have any money, but thank you, head florist."

"Wait, it is 500 poke each?" I added, "I will buy them."

I handed over the money, and we went back into the swamp. Wave guided me under a low-hanging willow tree.

"Thank you so much for this!" she joyfully said.

She then brushed her cheek against mine, which felt both strange and nice. She explained that it was a gesture of caring among Mudkip, after seeing my slight confusion. We had spent a lot of time exploring the swamp by now, and it started growing darker.

We returned to Wave's home. As soon as we were there she placed the flower among some other items on the edge of the bush that were her belongings. I had put the flower I received from her in my item box. The rest of Wave's family had been waiting us, and there was several peaches they had saved for us.

"From the looks of what you brought home, I think I know at least one of the places you went," Silt commented slyly.

"Yes, we did visit the flower garden," Wave replied.

"How romantic!" teased Silt, "Where else did you go?"

"I was just showing him the most popular spots," Wave replied, "We also visited the mud-flat, the playground, the waterfall, and the river."

"So, Ben, what did you think of the swamp?" Silt asked.

"It was all very calm and enjoyable," I answered, "Wave was an excellent guide."

"Glad to hear it," Silt added, "After that long day you both must be pretty tired, because I sure am."

"It wasn't much compared to my long travels, but some rest would be nice," I replied, yawning, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Ben. You should come sleep over here, the ground is much softer," Wave commented.

We all got ready to sleep, and laid down on the side of the bush that the family normally slept on. The ground on this side of the bush was softer than where I had slept last night and covered in moss, and I fell asleep even faster.

Mew, who had transformed into a Charmeleon, entered the caves. It was easy for him to find where the orb was kept, since it was one of the clan's oldest artifacts. He traveled through the tunnels, made hot by the volcano's heat. He avoided the others as much as possible using his psychic senses, but had to cross the hall of the elders to reach the cavern where the orb was held. Mew waited until no one was in the hall, and then entered the room where the fire orb was.

Mew reached for the orb, but suddenly was knocked back by flames that appeared out of nowhere. Mew could sense someone coming, and so he teleported to another nearby room so that he could observe the person that had come.

Lucario, after a short argument with some of the Charizard elders, had been able to convince them to give him the fire orb. The meeting had gone through most the morning, so Lucario had joined the elders for lunch. Lucario was not one to be distracted, though, so he ate quickly. He walked through the hall of the elders, which consisted of six stone platforms, each with a ring of lava around it. At the far end was an entrance to the room where the fire orb was. Entering this room, Lucario thought he saw something for an instant, but after careful scrutiny decided that it was nothing. He walked up to the fire orb, but was impeded by a wall of flames that surrounded it.

In this flame, Lucario sensed a presence that he had not felt in ages. He spoke out, seeing if it actually was true.

"My old friend, is it actually you?" Lucario inquired.

The flames then formed into the spirit of a Charizard, the Charizard that had been part of Lucario's team.

"What are you doing here, Lucario?"the spirit asked.

"Nerezzik has again awakened, and so we need to open the gate and reach Aureolus," Lucario explained.

"I figured that times must be dark if you are walking the world again. It would be nice if I could join you, but the only help I can give you this time is the fire orb. Take it and know that my spirit will always be with you. Do your best, old friend, and find a way to stop Nerezzik for good this time."

"Thank you, old friend, it was nice to see you again."

Lucario took the orb for the pedestal that it rested on. It was hot to hold, and Lucario walked out of the room carrying it carefully. Tomorrow would be the third day that the group would meet up again, so then they could go find Aureolus. As Lucario went back to the room that had been provided for him, he thought he sensed another presence in his mind, but it was gone, so he went to meditate and prepare for the journey tomorrow.

Mew had observed Lucario during the whole event. Lucario was strong and had sensed Mew for a second, before he had withdrawn his mind-reading. Lucario was also very powerful, so Mew did not want to face him. Mew decided that the information from Lucario would be enough for Nerezzik, so he teleported back.

Nerezzik rested in the portal chamber. He looked at the inscriptions again, even though they were quite irritating to him.

The inscription read: "Once pokemon and men coexisted. They shared a peace forged by the bonds between them from the world's beginning. All this was disrupted when the balance was upset. Defeated, the humans left this world for a new beginning in a new world."

Bonds between humans and pokemon? Nerezzik laughed at the thought. The humans only caused pain and tried to use pokemon for their own gain. They were vermin that deserved to be destroyed, and Nerezzik hoped to be able to destroy them completely this time. While deep in these thoughts, Nerezzik was interrupted when Mew teleported back.

"You don't seem to have the orb, Mew, what happened to your mission?" Nerezzik asked.

"I wasn't able to get the orb, but I do have good and bad news," Mew replied, "The orb is going to be brought here, but Lucario is the one that has it. He hopes to open the portal and get the help of Aureolus. He will be leaving tomorrow, so in a few days he should be here."

"Lucario!" growled Nerezzik, "He will be a difficult and troublesome enemy. Seems like we will need a new plan."

Nerezzik already knew what his new plan would entail, and he grinned as he thought about it. Only Aureolus returning truly worried Nerezzik at all. Lucario was probably the only one left with the blessing of Aureolus, which made him resistant to Nerezzik's attacks and immune to control. It would be better to have him play into a trap, rather than face him directly.

During my day with Wave, Draconis had been spending his day with Charmandra. After breakfast, they met on the sandy beach. The small waves lapped lazily upon the shore, and a calm breeze was blowing. They both started walking down the beach, and began talking.

"The weather is certainly is nice today," Draconis began.

"Yes, the weather is perfect," Charmandra followed, "There was some bad storms during the time you were gone, but they calmed down after the meteor was destroyed."

"With such calm weather do you want to head down to the rocky point and have a picnic, Charmandra?"

"What a great idea! Today would be the perfect day for something like that."

"Ok, let's see what food I brought with me. Apples, oranges, and berries is what I have, do you think we should get anything else?"

"No, those sound like they will be good, so let's get going."

Both Draconis and Charmandra continued down the beach, now holding hands. The beach curved to a small peninsula and the end of that was made up of several large lava rocks. Shells and rocks dotted the beach, and sometimes one of these had exceptional beauty. It was here, a while back, that both Draconis and Charmandra had found the rubies they had given to each other. Hoping for a similar find, they looked carefully downwards as they walked along.

Seeing something glitter in the sun, Draconis quickly picked it up, and started examining it.

"What have you found this time?" Charmandra asked.

"It seems to be a geode of some kind, I can see the crystals inside through this crack," Draconis replied.

"Maybe you should break it open and see."

"Okay, here it goes. Metal Claw!"

The geode split into two halves, both of which had large crystals in a rainbow of colors. It was one of the most beautiful things Draconis had ever found, and thought it would be perfect to share with Charmandra.

Handing both halves over to her, he said, "It is a geode after all. Charmandra, you can have it."

"Wow, it is beautiful," she gasped, "I think you should take half of it, though. It will remind you of me as you travel, just like the ruby already does. Here you can have this half."

She handed him the half, and both continued down the beach, looking at their half. Around noon, they arrived at the rocky point, so they put the geode halves away, and got out their picnic. Draconis had planned on going somewhere with Charmandra anyway, so that was why he brought the food in the first place. The food was some of the best, since Draconis had selected it himself from the groves near his home.

After eating they both felt sluggish, so they both lay on the black rocks, basking in the sun. Most pokemon, especially reptile and fire types, enjoy sunbathing. Both Draconis and Charmandra lay there on the rocks, and soon had gently dozed off. They awoke some time later, feeling energized. They slowly walked back to the caverns, and arrived back just in time for dinner.

After dinner, Lucario walked up and began to speak. "Draconis, I now have the fire orb, and tomorrow is the day we planned to meet up with the group. I hope the few days of rest here have made you ready for our long journey ahead."

"That's good, Lucario," Draconis responded, "I hope we can help the world again. Goodnight, Lucario."

"May you awaken ready for tomorrow."

Both Draconis and Lucario went to sleep, ready to face their journey once again.

Entranced with his book, Ninetales passed the second day quickly. After much study, Ninetales could now teleport, see hidden things, and communicate with others that were far away. Using this magic was still new to Ninetales, so he could not easily control how much energy he put into each spell. This resulted in a few spells using up most of his power, but he had enough for one more. He thought about how he should use it. Remembering Gardevoir and Team ACT, he decided to contact them once more.

Team ACT and Gardevoir had been watching Nerezzik's actions while the others went to the Mystic Mountains. They were now setting up a place to stay for the night, when a shadowy outline of Ninetales appeared.

"Ninetales, is that you?" Alakazam asked, "How are you able to project yourself like this?"

"Sorry to surprise, you," Ninetales explained, "It is me. I have continued along with Mudkip and Charmander. In the Mystic Mountains we met with Lucario, who is now guiding us as we try to get to Aureolus. I also received an ancient book of magic, which is how I am communicating with you now. Your last message concerned me, which is why I decided to speak to you as soon as I mastered this spell."

"Yes, our link broke because of the distance. Even my mind can only reach so far. We have continued monitoring Nerezzik's movements, but there hasn't been much activity lately. He moved most of his powerful forces to a place called the buried relic, but now it seems that some of his forces are beginning to be sent elsewhere. We've had a few minor battles with scouts of his army, but he hasn't tried to invade the area we are protecting yet. Shall we continue with our mission as before?"

"Yes, Alakazam, your mission of warning others will help stop the army from growing, which helps us greatly. Continue on, and hopefully we will meet you again after we find Aureolus. This magic is draining, so farewell for now."

The shadow form of Ninetales disappeared, and Ninetales now saw his home once more. That last spell had taken more out of him than he thought, and he now felt faint and dizzy. The walls of his cave and his fire seemed to swim before him. Trying to get some water to help himself, Ninetales walked unsteadily. He could not go on, and he fell over and passed out.


	15. Chapter 14: Renewed Resolve

Chapter 14: Renewed Resolve

The day to meet with Lucario arrived much quicker than expected. I was just barely getting to know the swamp and those living there, but I had to go. I was up early, and Wave and Silt joined me as I went to see the elders one last time. This morning the sky had a few fluffy clouds in it, which would block the sun from time to time. Walking through the tree paths, we arrived at the elder's fountain.

"We thank you for coming to see our domain," the elder began, "We have been discussing your current quest, and believe that we may have something to help you. Here take this."

The elder held out a small vial of water. It was made of clear crystal, and had a silver band threaded through its top. The water inside seemed to sparkle and catch the sunlight.

After taking the gift, I graciously replied, "Thank you, elder."

"That vial and the water inside was an ancient gift to us. It can heal both the body and mind entirely from any ailments. Use it only if you desperately need to. Your must stop Nerezzik as quickly as possible, so go meet with your companions. If you would like, we could provide you with escorts."

"Honorable elder," Wave spoke, "My brother and I would like to escort him, if that would be alright."

"That will be fine, young one," agreed the elder, "Just be sure to travel quickly. Now farewell, and may the swamp's peace remain in your heart."

Saying our farewells, I left with Wave and Silt following. Instead of the previous jungle path that the Charmeleon had taken me on, Silt led us to the river. Exiting from the swamp, the river slowly picked up speed on its way to the ocean. The jungle brush formed a wall on either side of the river, but the sun shone brightly on the river.

"Look out ahead, there is some nasty rapids," Silt warned.

The river suddenly picked up speed, and grew choppy ahead of us. There were several sharp rocks that would have to be avoided, so we planned our path. Silt led the way, and at first we avoided any rocks, but the rapids grew even rougher as we moved forward. There was more and more rocks, some of which I scraped a little as I swam by. The rapids seemed to be ending, but there was one more obstacle. A large whirlpool blocked the way, and the current whisked us into its grasp. The three of us went down, becoming submerged. We were trapped.

Thinking about a way to escape, I grabbed both Silt and Wave while unleashing a hydro pump. My attack disrupted the whirlpool, and blasted us out of the rapids. Stopping for a brief rest on the shore, we all were quite battered and bruised.

"That wasn't there last time I came down this route," panted Silt.

"Luckily Ben was with us, or else we might have been in some trouble," gasped Wave.

"That was pretty difficult, but by thinking the problem through, I was able to overcome it," I added, "Here, let's have some oran berries, and be on our way."

Eating the berries replenished our strength and we continued on down the river. The river widened and became slower, so the rest of our journey was more relaxed. As we neared the ocean, the jungle slowly thinned out until only the grasses and shrubs near the shore were left. We were near the Charizard clan once again, so we climbed out of the river. In the distance was Draconis, Lucario, and Charmandra. They had some food out for lunch, and we joined them.

"You look like you had a good time, Ben. How was it visiting the swamp?" Draconis greeted.

"It was calm and refreshing," I replied, "It would be great to go back there again. I would like you to meet two of my friends that I met there. This is Wave, and this is Silt."

"Pleasure to meet you," said Silt.

"Nice to meet you, as well," added Wave, "I heard about you in the tales Ben told of your journeys together."

Everyone finished their greetings, and we began lunch as we waited for Ninetales. As soon as we finished, we began to wonder why Ninetales was so late. Gazing at the volcano to see if he was coming, we were suddenly startled by a strange flash of energy behind us. Ninetales now sat where before there had been only grass, looking ready for the journey to begin.

"Sorry to startle you," he explained, "I had a late start today. I have been trying to use the magic from the book, but I overused it yesterday. I just barely awoke from where I had collapsed last night, when I realized that it was time to meet the rest of you here. Part of the magic I can use lets me teleport, so I used that to come here."

"So, the old sorcerer's book is finally helping someone after all these years," Lucario replied, "You seem to be picking it up quickly, Ninetales, but you still have a ways to go before you even come close to the power the original owner of that book had. The magic was useful against Nerezzik last time as well, just know its limits and your own."

"The Charizard elders also gave me something to help us against Nerezzik," Charmander added, "This morning before I left, they gave me a rare plant called the Lava Fern. Once used it gives incredible power, but leaves the user exhausted afterward."

"I had a similar experience while leaving this morning as well," I commented, "I was given this sacred water by the Swampert elders."

Lucario seemed pleased with this news and said, "Your clans have provided you with some powerful items. Now let's get moving. We shall go to the portal. After thinking it over, I realized that even without the music box you used to have, we could still open the portal by getting a new set of parts from the pokemon that guard them. It would save us time, and keep us out of danger."

"A wise plan, Lucario," Ninetales complimented.

It was now time to say farewell to Wave, Silt, and Charmandra. Draconis and Charmandra embraced, and said their goodbyes. Wave seemed disappointed to have to say goodbye.

"Farewell, Wave and Silt, your hospitality will not be forgotten," I began, "I shall return to the swamp after we can stop Nerezzik."

"I will be waiting for you, Ben," replied Wave, "I shall look at the flower you gave me each day you are gone."

"I'll protect the swamp, and you go save the world again," Silt added.

The rest started leaving, and remembering yesterday in the swamp, I brushed my cheek against Wave's and ran off after one last farewell. This last act of mine cheered her up, and both she, Silt, and Charmandra continued waving goodbye as we walked off towards the desert once more.

The patchy clouds provided occasional shade, but crossing the desert was still too painful as a Mudkip. After I transformed back into a human again, we continued along the desert.

The clouds overhead started to thicken as we moved on, and the wind started picking up the sand. The oasis was not much further, though, so we rushed ahead to try to reach it. The winds continued picking up, and soon we could not see. The sands swirled about, blinding us if we tried to keep our eyes open. We were stuck, unable to see where to go. Even talking was difficult, since an open mouth soon was soon filled with the blowing sand.

Using his psychic abilities, Lucario created a barrier against the sand and began to speak. "This isn't good. If we stay here we will be in bad shape. Ninetales, I believe there was a spell that allows one to see beyond the normal appearances. Have you learned that one yet?"

"Yes, it was one of the beginning spells that I have learned so far," Ninetales replied, "I think I know your plan. If I can see through the sands, we may be able to reach the oasis. I will try it, but I still am not able to control the magic very well."

Ninetales chanted a few arcane words, and he looked around. After he had adjusted to the sight the spell granted him, Ninetales noticed the trees of the oasis in the distance.

"I see the oasis, it is a little bit further," he said, "Follow me."

Lucario looked tired from holding his barrier against the sandstorm, and it began to weaken.

"Hurry, I can't hold this forever," he commanded.

We started to run, but our feet sank into the sand each step making it difficult. The terrain was very tiring to run across, but we all tried our hardest. Soon we had reached the slope of the ridge surrounding the oasis, but the barrier gave away. The wind had picked up from before. The sand scoured our bodies as we crawled up the hill. It seemed like the hill would never end, but we all reached the top, sore and worn out.

The small bowl that the oasis was in formed some protection against the wind, but the sands still blew wildly about. We gathered under some of the bushes surrounding the oasis, and waited out the storm. I turned back into a Mudkip, so that I could go into the water. After the swirling sand, the cool water felt like heaven, and I went to see if Gyarados could help us.

In a cave in the bottom of the oasis, Gyarados slept. I tried to carefully awaken him, but he still snapped at me before he saw who I was. I dodged his hasty attack, and once he was fully awake he agreed to help us. Arising to the surface, Gyarados let a series of roars and made certain motions in the water. This rain dance made the winds calm, and it began to rain, which made the sandstorm end.

"Thanks again, Gyarados," I replied, "Would you like to join us for dinner?"

"I guess that will make up for awakening me," he replied, "But you had better have something good to eat."

Looking over our fruit supply we had gotten before setting off, we gave Gyarados a rare fruit called the dragon fruit. This satisfied Gyarados, who also asked us about our travels once more. We spoke with Gyarados for a while, but night fell, and we rested.

The next morning we were all still a little sore and scratched after running through the sandstorm, but we continued on. We reached the plains once more, and headed south to the buried relic.

As we walked along, suddenly a Scyther jumped out of the long grass. It rushed forward towards Lucario, who was the closest. It closed in, but right as it would have hit Lucario, he jumped up. He then shot a shadow ball into the grass, and landed on the Scyther with a powerful kick. The shadow ball blew most the grass down, revealing several pokemon that were about to ambush us. Charmander and Ninetales shot their flames, and I added my water gun. This defeated our attackers, and only Scyther was still conscious, but was pinned under Lucario's feet.

"Answer me!" Lucario commanded, "Why are you attacking us?"

"That should be obvious," the Scyther replied, "Nerezzik wants you defeated. We were just a scouting group, but now he will know that you are here. Go Fearow, tell Nerezzik of them!"

A Fearow that had remained hidden further back in the grass than the others suddenly took off. We tried hitting it with a few attacks, but it sped away. Lucario kicked the Scyther again, kocking it unconcious, and then began charging energy. Holding out his hand, beams of light radiated out, hitting each of the defeated pokemon.

"That was a move Aureolus taught me. It frees fainted pokemon from Nerezzik's control," Lucario explained, "Nerezzik can still control them, though, if he defeats them again. Aureolus had the power to permanently protect others from Nerezzik, but I can only sever his control. If Nerezzik knows we are here, we do not have much time. Let's hurry and get to the portal."

We moved quickly, knowing that if Nerezzik brought down his entire forces on us, we probably would not survive. Our only hope was to get to the portal and Aureolus.

Meanwhile, the Fearow arrived, telling Nerezzik of the failure of the ambush, but that did not matter to Nerezzik. The Charmander, Mudkip, Ninetales, and even Lucario would be defeated. They also had the power source for the portal. It would soon be his as well. They had thought the ambush was just a scouting group, but it served a far better purpose in Nerezzik's plans. It had driven them right to where he waited at the buried relic. They would soon fall into his trap. With them out of the way, Nerezzik would open the portal and could finally destroy the humans. The thought of this pleased Nerezzik, who started laughing at the thought of his coming victories.


	16. Chapter 15: Everything Into Darkness

Chapter 15: Everything into Darkness

Unfortunately the crumbled ruins that made up Buried Relic did not grant us easy passage. The pieces of stone littered the twisting pathways, many of which were blocked by fallen structures. After a few frustrating dead-ends, we made it to where the first part should have been.

Last time, Charmander, Absol, and I had run into a pokemon named Regirock here in the large room that the pathway went through. Absol was the third member of our rescue team, but Charmander had not seen him for over a month. Instead of Regirock, there was only an empty room this time. The high ceiling and wide room echoed our footsteps, but otherwise there was silence.

"Something seems wrong," stated Charmander, "Last time Regirock was here, and we got the rock part by defeating it."

"There's nothing I can sense nearby," Lucario replied, "Wait! Several are approaching."

"Let's see just who these are," Ninetales confidently added.

A small group of fast pokemon entered the building. It was a small group with only Pidgeot, Arcanine, and Electrode. Their speed allowed them each a quick attack. Pidgeot flew by in a flash, sending me rolling backward into the wall with a wing attack. Arcanine used its extremespeed, sending Charmander sprawling onto the floor next to me. Electrode used a swift attack on Lucario, who managed to fend off almost all damage from the attack. Now that they seemed open to attack, Ninetales unleashed a Fire Spin, damaging the Pidgeot. Lucario also prepared a counterattack, and blasted a shadow ball into Electrode. This destabilized Electrode, who suddenly began to glow, building energy for an explosion.

"Everyone, take cover!" Lucario yelled.

Both Lucario and Ninetales retreated into the corners of the room, and I had recovered from the attack, but Charmander still lay on his back next to me. Electrode glowed brighter, and only a moment was left, and Charmander had barely started getting up.

"No, watch out Charmander!" I yelled as I ran in front of him, "Protect!"

The explosion started in the center of the room. Arcanine and Pidgeot were engulfed by the blast, and it quickly expanded towards me. My protect wavered, but the attack ended before it failed.

Getting up, Charmander complimented, "Thanks, Mudkip, I can always count on you."

Shaking the debris off, Lucario added, "That was a powerful blast, and I could sense that those pokemon were under Nerezzik's control. If his faster groups are reaching us, then we must move out."

We dusted ourselves off and moved onto the warp tile. Another part of the ruins, deeper than where we just were was now before us. We moved even faster now, and ran into two more empty rooms, where Regice and Registeel should have been.

"Looks like the plan to get another set of parts has failed, but perhaps we can lose Nerezzik's forces if we keep going through this labyrinth," Ninetales commented as we left the last room.

"We have nowhere to go but forward, anyway," I replied.

Although forward was the only way to go, it was not an easy one. Many more portions of the Buried Relic were ahead, and our group grew tired as we wound our way through. After what felt like an eternity, we finally reached the end, exhausted but relieved.

"The path to the portal is right here," Lucario said, opening the hidden passage.

The hallway was dusty, but there seemed to be a trail through the center were the dust had been wiped away. Lucario also stared ahead, and actually looked nervous.

"The door has been opened, and someone has been here recently," Lucario observed, "No! It's too late! We should not have come!"

A familiar and terrible voice resounded through my mind now, the voice of Nerezzik. "It is too late, and there shall be no escape this time. Lucario, my old enemy, and the human that is now a Mudkip, you both shall die! As for the others, you will be joining me shortly."

Three shapes entered the passageway, blocking our escape. Regirock, Regice, and Registeel now stood in the way of our exit. They began throwing rocks, ice shards, and blasts at us, causing us to retreat the other way. We ran into the end of the passage, which was a large but empty room.

"The portal is the only escape now, hurry!" Lucario shouted.

Lucario got out the Fire Orb, and jumped up onto a large platform at the top of a few stairs. He placed the orb into it's spot in the center, and a glowing circle appeared in the air. The circle started growing, but Lucario was suddenly knocked away by the rapid attack of a pokemon we had never seen before.

"I told you there was no escape, and my strongest, Deoxys will make sure of that" Nerezzik stated, as he and the other pokemon now blocked the way to the portal.

Deoxys was a pokemon that stood on two legs. It was red with some blue on the bottom of its arms, on its face, and in two small markings on its legs. In its core seemed to be a large gem.

The attack sent Lucario flying across the room, but he shifted his body and landed softly. We were now trapped between Nerezzik and Deoxys and the three Regis.

The battle began as Regice used ice beam. Our group ran forward to avoid it, and we rushed the portal instead. Charmander and Ninetales combined their flames, and I shot a hydro pump as well. Lucario jumped up into the air as our attacks moved towards Deoxys. The attacks hit Deoxys, but the smoke from the attacks obscured our view of it. Lucario then moved to deliver a powerful aerial kick, but his kick met with something that blocked it in the smoke. The smoke of the fire attacks cleared, showing Deoxys now in a new form. Deoxys now had much thicker arms, and had blocked all the attacks using the heightened defense of this form.

Deoxys changed once again, its arms forming into 4 tentacles. Deoxys grabbed Lucario with these tentacles, and flung him into Ninetales. The power of this unexpected throw caused the two to crash together violently. With both Ninetales and Lucario temporarily defenseless, Charmander and I moved to help them. Regirock had moved forward towards them, but I pushed it back with a hydro pump. Charmander unleashed a flamethrower at Nerezzik, but Deoxys blocked the attack. Nerezzik then shot a dark blast at Lucario and Ninetales, who were thrown separate directions by the attack. Registeel unleashed a hyper beam, which blasted the spot where Lucario and Ninetales had just been, but Nerezzik's attack had blasted them both away from there. Even though it missed directly hitting anyone, the force of the hyper beam blasted rock shards into the air. Charmander received several gashes across his white belly, an area which had softer scales than the rest of his body. The rock fragments also flew by me, grazing my forehead.

The wound left by the rocks left me dazed and began to bleed down into my eyes, making seeing difficult. Charmander also was in a lot of pain, his wounds also bleeding. Nerezzik's blast had injured Ninetales and Lucario quite badly. Lucario seemed barely able to stand now, and Ninetales looked ragged and weak. Regice prepared another attack, but Ninetales used confuse ray. Staggering around, it instead blasted the ceiling, causing dust and debris to fall onto all three Regis, obscuring their view of us. Lucario unleashed extremespeed on Deoxys, who was hit by the fast and powerful attack.

"Mudkip, Charmander, attack Nerezzik now! We may be able to get to the portal!" Lucario commanded.

I cleared some of the blood dripping into my eyes, and unleashed a mud-slap at Nerezzik. Charmander shot a fire blast as well. My attack covered Nerezzik's face, and, unable to see, he was also hit by the fire blast. The heat of the second move baked the mud into a hard layer covering Nerezzik's face. The four of us rushed towards the portal once more. Nerezzik used his psychic abilities and broke the hardened mud that was obstructing his sight. Seeing us all rushing past him, he then unleashed his psychic powers once more, flinging us backwards near the three Regis once again.

Deoxys switched into its speed form. It now was thin and streamlined but only had two tentacles. It used its own extremespeed on Lucario, knocking him onto the floor. Regirock, Registeel, and Regice all used lock-on on me, Chamander, and Ninetales. We decided to try and take out Regirock before its next attack, since it was weak from my earlier attack. Ninetales distracted it with a fire spin, I used another hydro pump, and Charmander unleashed metal claw. The regirock's H-shaped array of red dots that made up its eyes faded to black, and its heavy body crashed to the floor. Both Registeel and Regice still were able to unleash their attacks with perfect aim. Regice unleashed an ice beam, which hit me directly in the back as I tried to avoid it. The chilling attack froze most of my body in ice, making movement or attacks impossible. Charmander was hit by Registeel's metal arm, which sent him crashing into the far corner of the room.

"Here take this," a new voice said, its owner giving me an aspear berry. "You seem to be doing good," it added sarcastically.

That voice! Could it actually be him? As I unthawed and was able to see, I saw that it was indeed who I thought it would be. Absol had come, ready to help us. Absol, the third member of Team Saviors, was covered in white fur and looked a little bit like a dog. He had a black face with red eyes, and had a hard black tail and a black spot in the center of his forehead. His most prominent feature was a curved black blade that protruded from the side of his head.

"Absol, you're here!" I enthusiastically greeted, "Could you go check on Charmander?"

"I guess I could," he replied, "but you might need my help more."

Absol moved quickly to check on Charmander, while the rest of us continued the fight. Lucario and Deoxys traded a few blows, slowly weakening each other. Ninetales had continued fighting Registeel and Regice, and I joined him. Ninetales had Registeel trapped in a fire spin, and I joined in with a mud-slap. Registeel seemed to be slowing down, so we continued our attack. This slowdown was actually preparation, though, and Registeel blasted through both our attacks with a hyper beam. The attack blew us both away, and the last thing I saw was its bright light.

Absol managed to find Charmander, who had been knocked into a dark corner of the large room. Charmander's flame seemed to be weakening, but it still burned brightly on the tip of his tail. Absol rolled Charmander over to see if he was still conscious, but he was not. Instead, Charmander had a large discolored bruise across his chest from Registeel's blow. The injuries on his belly had also reopened, and were bleeding badly. Absol knew he needed help, and gave him the only thing he had, an oran berry. This helped reduce the swelling and begin healing the cuts, but was not enough to revive Charmander. It looked like Absol would have to guard him.

Absol could feel the powerful energy from an attack and turned around to see how the battle was progressing. Ninetales lay with on his side panting in pain. Mudkip lay unmoving, with several bleeding wounds. Only Lucario was left, but was in a fierce battle with Deoxys. Lucario unleashed a shadow ball, and the black sphere hit Deoxys directly in the chest. While Deoxys knelt down recovering from the attack, Lucario saw the desperate situation of Ninetales and me.

"We won't last any longer by staying here," thought Lucario, "I will save everyone I can"

Lucario used his extremespeed again, but rather than attack anyone, he grabbed both Ninetales and me. The increased speed of this attack allowed Lucario to slip by Nerezzik and into the portal, which now was a large disk that wavered in many colors. Even though he got past Nerezzik, our enraged enemy still now poured most of his power into a dark blast at Lucario. The attack hit Lucario as he faded through the portal, and the extra power put into it overcame the weakened Lucario's endurance. In the shifting void of colors that was the portal, he also collapsed.

Now only Absol and Charmander were left. Nerezzik seemed not to notice them right away, since his concentration and strength were drained by his last attack. Deoxys recovered though, and floated over to the corner where the two were. Seeing this foe approaching and knowing that it held out against Lucario lessened Absol's confidence.

"I bet you won't even be able to withstand this!" Absol taunted, unleashing his razor wind attack.

The compressed blade of air traveled from the blade on Absol's head and hit Deoxys, who was now in its defense form. Deoxys took the attack not even getting a scratch, where even the strongest opponent that Absol had fought before had at least received a small cut from a direct blow.

"Well, you don't look like the pushover I'd thought you'd be," Absol stated, "It's been tons of fun, but looks like I've got to go."

Absol grabbed Charmander, and pulled out a warp seed. Being constantly involved in helping with disasters had trained Absol to be ready for anything, which was why he always carried a way out, like a warp seed. Deoxys rushed forward at the two, but they disappeared.

Outside, in the jungle surrounding the buried relic, Absol appeared with Charmander lying next to him. Even with the oran berry, the injuries Charmander had still were bad. His breathing was also irregular, which didn't bode well.

"Seems like I'll have to get you some help," Absol said to the unconscious Charmander, "But with Pokemon Square gone, where do I have to go? Perhaps your own kind will know how to heal you better than me, so I'll take you to there. Boy, today is just my lucky day."

Absol draped Charmander over his back, and jumped softly into the trees, heading to the Charizard clan.

Back in the portal room, Nerezzik called forth Mew.

"Mew, you've done a good job," Nerezzik began, "Your orders were to gather the stronger members of my army, and bring them here. I can sense they will be arriving shortly. You also were to have the rest of my forces stay, so that they can train and defend the fortress I built while trying to add numbers to my forces. I can already sense the numbers near the fortress growing, so they must be doing a good job. Now I have a new job for you. Two members of the group did not make it through the portal, and I have seen one of them enough to give you an accurate image and mental state to change into. Here, I will show you what to do."

Nerezzik's thoughts were shown to Mew. The image of a Charmander, along with some of its thought patterns that Nerezzik had sensed filled Mew's mind. He transformed into this pokemon, and awaited Nerezzik's next orders.

"Good. Now, Mew, shield your mind, and have the thought patterns I have given you form a cloud around that shield. That way, others will not sense that it is not the Charmander. Use the thought patterns to try to guide you, so that the others will not notice any strange behavior. Now you will stay in that form and enter the portal. Follow the group and observe them until I give you other orders. I will be following shortly when the rest of my forces arrive."

Mew, now looking exactly like Draconis the Charmander, stepped into the portal. It's swirling colors engulfed him, until he slowly emerged into a place unlike any other he had been.


	17. Chp 16: Pokemon Healing: Second Opinion

Chapter 16: Pokemon Healing: Second Opinion

Absol was tired and sweaty after jumping through the trees hauling Charmander on his back. He paused for a brief rest at the edge of the jungle, surveying the plains ahead.

"It seems my luck is as disastrous as ever," Absol grumbled as he saw what was ahead.

Coming over the fields were hundreds of pokemon, all looking to be pretty strong. Pokemon of many types all moved into the jungle while Absol remained hidden in the leaves of the tree. After a while, it quieted down, and no others came.

"Well at least the plains will be easier now," observed Absol, "All the grass has been trampled down. Finally, something good in this mess."

Absol bore Charmander quickly over the plains, and the flattened grass made it easy going. Hours of traveling went by, and it was time to stop for the night. Absol set Charmander down, and tried to see if he would get up.

"Charmander, can you hear me?" asked Absol. "I guess there must be something else wrong with you, because normal injuries would have healed by now."

Absol looked Charmander over. Most of the injuries of the battle had begun healing, but the injuries on Charmander's belly seemed to be inflamed, which indicated an infection. The flame on Charmander's tail also seemed to have diminished from earlier.

"Well this isn't good," thought Absol, "I guess I'll try to find some berries, maybe a certain kind can help. This certainly is more serious than I thought, if he isn't awakening. I may even have to carry him tomorrow, even though my back is killing me after today."

Absol bounded off, and returned with many types of berries. Charmander's condition had not improved, and his breathing was faint and pulse irregular. Absol fed him some of each kind of berry, hoping for results. After all the berries, Charmander's breathing was a little more steady, but nothing else had improved.

"I guess I'll see what the morning brings, goodnight Charmander," Absol stated, "Let's hope tomorrow is better than today was."

Absol spun around in a circle making a small resting spot where he would be next to Charmander. Although worried, Absol fell asleep from the fatigue of the day.

The morning sun arose, lighting up the beads of dew that covered the grass of the plains. Absol had some food, and gave Charmander more berries. The injuries on Charmander's belly seemed much worse now. Last night they had just had some inflammation, but now they looked far worse. Each wound had a blackish-blue coloring around it. Absol felt the area near the wounds. Instead of the warm temperature that a Charmander was supposed to have throughout their body, the area near the wounds was cold.

"Looks like I'll need to hurry," Absol stated, "You are getting worse quickly. I only hope my back can hold up, you certainly aren't a very light pokemon."

Absol once again got Charmander on his back, and moved quickly across the plains. Absol bounded over the remaining plains, and over the desert during the hot afternoon. The heat and pace Absol had to take were exhausting, but the determination to help his team member gave Absol the strength to move onward. Soon the desert sands changed once again into grass and the Charizard lands were ahead. From the air, a Charizard approached Absol, who kept running towards the cliffs that were the main living spot for the clan. As the Charizard neared the ground, Absol stopped.

"What has happened to that Charmander?" demanded the Charizard.

Panting from exhaustion and heat, Absol weakly managed to say, "No, t-time, to explain, h-help, h-him."

Overcome by the long and difficult journey Absol collapsed on his side, having done all he could for Charmander.

Absol later awakened to cool water bring splashed on his head.

"We need your help," begged a female Charmander, "I am Charmandra, a close friend to Draconis, who you brought to us. You collapsed, and we brought you here into our caves to see what had happened. Your scarf identifies you as a member of Draconis's rescue team, so have some water and tell us what has happened. Draconis had just left a short time ago, and now he is in terrible condition."

After lapping up some water from the spring in the cave wall, Absol explained, "Draconis and the others fell into a trap by Nerezzik. Lying in wait at the portal, Nerezzik drove them there by making it look like he was coming from elsewhere. Nerezzik's forces are slow, and I've been tracking them over a month now, after I saw them attacking other pokemon. After finding their leader, I followed him slowly to avoid detection and capture. His sudden movement to the ruins a short while ago required that I wait and follow later to avoid detection. Nerezzik and his strongest fought against Lucario, Ninetales, Draconis, and Mudkip in the deepest part of the buried relic. I arrived near the end of the battle, but could not have changed the outcome. In the battle, Charmander, Mudkip, and Ninetales were defeated. Lucario escaped through the portal with Ninetales and Mudkip, and I managed to escape with Charmander using a warp seed. I hope you have some good food, I'm starving after running all the way here."

"Absol! Now isn't the time for that!" Charmandra chided, "You should see Draconis first."

Upon entering a side cave, Charmandra seemed almost to cry. Draconis lay there, tended by one of the Charizard elders. His condition had worsened with the blue area near his wounds now spreading a little more. The Charizard elder placed a few hot rocks on the wounds, and turned to Absol and Charmandra.

"In all my years, I've never seen an infection like this," began the Charizard, "Where did Draconis receive these wounds?"

"Honorable old one, Draconis was injured in the depths of the buried relic," Absol explained.

"I see, that does explain this then," answered the Charizard, with a loss of hope apparent.

"Can we save Draconis, I'll do anything I can," pleaded Charmandra.

"There is nothing any pokemon can do, I'm afraid," the Charizard replied, "This infection sounds like an ancient type of disease that I've only heard about in the oldest of our healing knowledge. Ages ago, when both pokemon and humans lived together in this world, there were diseases that now only lie dormant in the ancient ruins. Through the wounds received in such an ancient place, Draconis has contracted one of these old diseases. In the ancient days, certain humans had the power to heal pokemon using their knowledge and abilities, but now there are none of those left in this world."

"None left is this world, huh?" Absol stated.

"No! What can we do?" cried Charmandra, sobbing.

"Calm down, our world isn't the only one," Absol said.

"Is there? Is there another way you know?" Charmandra replied.

"Yes, now that the portal has been opened, we may be able to convince the humans to help us again," Absol answered, "It been ages since the last time we worked with them. Won't they be glad to see us?"

The Charizard elder had been listening, and now added, "No one knows what the human world is like, but if you are willing to brave going there, then I will make sure the Charizard clan gives all the help we can. I will mobilize our best, and we will take you to the portal swiftly."

The elder got together many Charizard, which they met outside the cave. Absol had apparently been asleep through the night after collapsing yesterday, so it was now morning. The Charizard took both Absol and Draconis into the sky, flying quickly towards the portal. The clouds and ground below sped by quickly, and soon they arrived.

"Well at least I get to be carried now," joked Absol as they approached their destination, "I hope we find help soon."

They arrived at the portal, and it was obvious that many had passed through here recently. Nerezzik and his forces had gone through the portal, and everyone could only hope Lucario had managed to keep the others safe.

"We wish you the best of luck in finding help in the human world," the Charizard elder said.

"Well good luck would be nice for a change, seems like I haven't had any lately," Absol replied, "It seems like Nerezzik has taken most of his forces with him through the portal, so you just may want to see if you can defeat his forces in this world while I'm away. The humans sure are going to be friendly after meeting Nerezzik, so I'd better hurry. Goodbye."

Absol had Charmander draped over his back once more, and walked into the swirling portal. Charmander's belly that was against Absol's back felt like ice where the infection had spread. Hopefully there would be someone able to help in this new world.


	18. Chapter 17: A New and Old World

Chapter 17: A New and Old World

Some time later I awakened. Lucario, Ninetales, and Charmander were waiting. Still sore from the battle, I managed to get up with a little stiffness and looked around. It seemed we were in some sort of temple, with the walls, floors, and ceiling all made of a soft, white light. The temple was made up of a single room, with a barrier of light on one side that seemed to block the exit, and in the center was a platform at the top of some stairs. The platform seemed to have something on it, but I could not tell what it was.

"Where am I?" I thought.

"Welcome to the Temple of Light," came a calming voice into my mind, that could apparently read my thoughts.

"Who are you?"

"I am Aureolus," was its reply.

"Aureolus! Then you can help us defeat Nerezzik!"

Aureolus seemed saddened now while she said, "I wish I could, but I am limited now. I still have some power here, between the worlds, but I am not able to leave. I already told the others why, but I shall tell you as well. When the falling meteor disrupted the balance of the pokemon world, it also disrupted my connection to that world. You helped destroy the meteor, but part of it fell into Nerezzik's prison, called The Abyss. With this disruption, Nerezzik managed to overcome my seal on him, which reversed it back onto me. The seal completely immobilizes the body, making most tasks impossible. Since I made this place between worlds, I was still able to bring you and your friends from near the portal into here while you recovered. This proved lucky for you, as Nerezzik has passed through the portal. The path between worlds has been opened on the pokemon side, so things may come and go through that portal freely. The human side however, remains sealed, so anyone entering that world will only be able to enter the human world, and won't be able to come back through here until that portal is opened as well. Nerezzik is now in the human world, since I was able to keep him out of the Temple of Light."

"No! That means that the vision shown to me by the princess might come true!" I realized.

"So you met the ghosts of my previous companions?" Aureolus answered, "Although they are ghosts, there are still their descendants in your world. If you can find someone with the healing ability the princess had, then that may help to remove the seal upon me. Only with the combined powers that all of my previous companions had will the seal be able to be removed. Your group must go help the other humans, find the key to the human portal, and return with someone that has the healing ability. Until then, I can't move from here."

Aureolus grew silent, and I saw that on the platform was her unmoving body. Aureolus was an impressive pokemon and with the seal on her, her body was like a statue. She seemed to be a large white bird, with lines made up of a soft, yellow light that radiated out from a large yellow sphere in the center of her chest. The yellow lines formed patterns that spread over her wings, and two yellow lines went out diagonally from the central sphere, went straight up the sides of her neck, and ended at her eyes. It had a short yellow beak, and long, thin yellow legs that ended in sharp white claws that gripped the ground. It eyes looked calm, but were glassy and unmoving. Surrounding Aureolus were several clear crystals that floated in a circle about her. Turning from this majestic pokemon back to the others, I was ready to go do what was needed.

"So you know what we must do?" Lucario inquired.

"Yes, Aureolus told me everything," I replied, "Hey, Charmander, where's Absol? I sent him to help you in the battle."

Charmander, who seemed miraculously healed of any injuries from the battle, paused for a while and then answered, "Absol fought the others so that I could escape. I do not know what happened to him afterward."

"I hope he's okay, and he probably is, if he had his usual items," I said, ignoring the unease I felt over Charmander's perfect condition and Absol's absence.

"Well, let's get moving then," Ninetales cut in, "Nerezzik has already gone through to the human world, and so we must hurry to find what we need to help Aureolus."

Aureolus opened the barrier, letting us pass into what was a large corridor made up of the same white light the temple was. At one end was the portal we had passed through. On this side, the room in the buried relic could be seen through the portal, but it seemed indistinct and faded. At the other end was another portal, but this one seemed to be a murky swirl of colors. The four of us made our way to the second portal, and passed through it.

We emerged into the courtyard of the oldest building in my world. There was a platform here, like back in the buried relic, that housed the portal, but the portal was not open from this side. A cobblestone path led to an open gate, and there was a tree on each side of this path. Since we were in the human world again, I changed back to my human self, and decided to explain a little about the world to the others.

"Well, this is the world that I come from," I began, "In history I was taught that humans came to this world ages ago, although where we came from had been forgotten until now. The humans arriving in this world decided they wanted to develop a world of peace, and so they founded the human civilization in this world upon that principle. Things from our previous world, such as weapons and magic, faded away as technology progressed. The knowledge of pokemon, preserved in a few remaining books, became legend. Eventually games and other things were made from these legends, but the actual existence of pokemon was forgotten. The leaders built up civilization and technology. With continual peace, our technology is mostly for convenience or recreation, though, so I'm not sure if it will help against Nerezzik much. There were also other creatures on this world, weaker and less intelligent than pokemon, that the humans share this world with. Some of these creatures are kept as pets or for food, and some roam in the wilderness areas. I'm not sure how far Nerezzik has gone here, so we'd better hurry."

I led the way, as we left the building and entered the city. Nerezzik had apparently been through here, since the surrounding office buildings were burned or destroyed. The power to everything had been disabled, so the electronic transportation vehicles that were left would not work.

I stopped to explain a little to the others, since they were clearly amazed by the buildings and this new world, even in its destroyed state. "We humans are able to build things far larger than pokemon could, using our technology. The only city in your world was Pokemon Square, but this is just one of the many cities in this world. There are many major cities, but this one, Origin City is the most central of all of them. A ways to the North is Obsidian, the city that is the center of government, research, and learning. Between Obsidian and here, across a massive lake is Garnet, a large city known for its good climate and beaches. Between here and Garnet is my town, Feldspar. Normally we humans use electricity to power our technology, but it seems Nerezzik has damaged the power supply for this area. If we had power we could use the electronic cars that travel along the roads, but for now we'll have to walk. We should head to Obsidian, since that is where we could find the most help."

Still looking around amazed, Lucario said, "You humans are certainly much more advanced than when you left the pokemon world. I've never seen such amazing things before."

"After living for centuries, I didn't think I could feel like this again," Ninetales added, "To feel so surprised and face the unknown once again, I feel like I did ages ago."

We continued along, and I occasionally had to explain about the vehicles, devices, or structures of the humans. Charmander seemed strangely silent, but perhaps this was due to being in a new world. The city had been destroyed and abandoned, but we found a hill to survey the surrounding land from as we moved towards the suburbs. From the hill, I could see smoke in the distance to the northeast, but if we kept moving North we would avoid the conflict. From the looks of it, Nerezzik had brought his army through the portal, so we would not be able to defeat it without help. We had to get to Obsidian, and hopefully be able to help my town as we passed through it. We moved North, but on foot we had only managed to get to the city outskirts by nightfall. Nerezzik had continued moving Northeast, but it seemed that the government had not come up with anything to slow his progress. He probably had been through the portal only a day more than us, though, so that probably would not have been enough for the government to come up with a way to stop the army of pokemon now destroying the city.

With it growing dim, the streetlights in most of the city remained dark, but to the North, some of lights came on.

"What are those lights ahead?" asked Lucario.

"Those are streetlights, to light up the neighborhoods during the night," I answered, "That means the buildings up ahead have power, so perhaps we can figure out more if we reach there. Come on, let's move."

We moved ahead to a neighborhood on the edge of the city that still had power. The others remained hidden while I checked to see if any people were around. The houses here were large, with well kept lawns, so it seemed to be a nice neighborhood. Apparently, the area was evacuated, since all the cars were gone. With no other humans, I got the others and we entered a house to spend the night. Inside nearly everything was left, and the owners had only taken a few things that they could take easily and quickly. I told Charmander to watch his tail so he wouldn't cause a fire, and also had to explain more of the devices to the others again. They all seemed amazed by every device that I used, especially when I turned on the TV.

On the TV was a special news report about Nerezzik's attack, and evacuation orders for the surrounding areas. They showed footage of the pokemon attacking Origin City, and maps showing the movement of Nerezzik's forces. They had kept moving Northeast, so we would be safe where we were, for now.

After watching the report for a while, Charmander asked, "So, is there anything to eat? I'm starving."

"There is lots of stuff, come with me, and we'll see what is in the kitchen," I replied.

In the kitchen, I opened the fridge, and the others were amazed by the food inside. They sniffed the strange human foods, deciding if they were good to eat or not. Ninetales and Charmander really liked the smell of the hot dogs, so they ate some of those. Lucario decided upon some cheese and bread, which he hungrily devoured. I had a burrito, which I warmed in the microwave. I also got out some fruit, so that the food the others were eating wouldn't be entirely strange to them.

"Wow, those were really good," Charmander stated, "The food the humans have is great!"

"Well, it certainly is interesting to eat something new," Ninetales added.

"It is much better than what the humans made ages ago," Lucario commented.

"I'm glad you like it," I replied, "I just hope you can all handle it well, since human food might not be that good for pokemon. It is nice to have something other than fruit and berries for a change."

After that we slept in some of the beds of the home. We would need to move quickly tomorrow, and avoid Nerezzik's forces. Hopefully the government would be helpful once I reached them, but it might be difficult for a teenager like me to change their minds.


	19. Chapter 18: Exaccus

Chapter 18: Exaccus

The government of the human world had grown complex over the ages that the world had developed. There were several families that held many positions in government over the ages that were descended from the royalties and rulers of the past. Two such people were Eridel and Opal.

Eridel was a young man in his early 20s with flame red hair. He didn't look powerful, but his speed and accuracy made him perfect at what he did. He also wasn't too tall, somewhere around five and one-half feet. A master in the ancient art of swordplay, he had long surpassed even the greatest of his peers and teachers.

Opal was a tall, slim woman, around 6 feet tall. She had shoulder-length hair that was white, even though she wasn't very old, being in her late 20s. She was an expert on biology, medicine, animals, and surgery. She also had a unique ability called the healing touch that could help her treat even the most hopeless of cases. She was one of the best doctors in the world, whether treating animals or humans, partially because she was could also pick up on the emotions and problems of everyone she met.

Both Eridel and Opal belonged to the secret government organization known as Exaccus. The leaders of the government knew that even if the world was peaceful, they must have some way to combat threats like the one that drove them out of their previous world. Exaccus also had more information than anyone else in the world on the history of humans. They knew a little bit about the previous world the humans had been on, and had the most extensive database on pokemon. Unfortunately there were so few pokemon on this world, since the only ones came during the brief time the portal between worlds was opened, or were created here as was the case of one pokemon. The created pokemon proved to be too powerful, since Exaccus had tried to genetically enhance it. The creature, called Mewtwo, had escaped into the world after breaking free, and now its whereabouts were unknown. The readings from its powers had proved useful, as Exaccus developed technologies that would help protect against such energies. The other types of pokemon that Exaccus monitored were called Latias and Latios. There were a handful of these that lived among the humans, taking on the appearance of humans at times.

The purpose of Exaccus was to observe, study, and stop any threat to humanity, such as arose from the pokemon in the past. The organization was in a large stone-colored building built into a mountainside. Only those with incredible skill and intelligence were brought into the organization. With the top minds at their disposal, Exaccus developed the phasic armor and photon swords. Phasic armor was developed to protect against the known energies of attacks that pokemon could use. With only descriptions of some kinds of pokemon, and only Latias, Latios, and Mewtwo to observe, the armor was not perfect. It protected the wearer completely from psychic attacks, but could only provide partial protection against other types that it could not be tested against. Photon swords were basically blades made out of energy, and could be adjusted to different levels, depending on if you wanted them to incapacitate or injure. Most in Exaccus thought their skills or technology would never be needed, since nothing but peace had happened for ages.

Eridel got his photon sword and phasic armor, and was about to go to the training simulator when the alert went off. The only time this had happened before was when Mewtwo escaped, so Eridel ran down the white hallway to the briefing room. Eridel's quick run made so he was one of the first at the briefing room. The leader of Exaccus, Marcus was waiting. Marcus was old, but he didn't let that stop him. He had grey hair and a short grey beard. Even though he was 50 or so, Marcus was one of the best swordsmen as well, and Eridel had only begun to beat him in sparring recently. A holographic screen had been prepared for this briefing. Opal, who was Eridel's older sister, walked quickly in the room through another of the doors.

"Hello, sister, it looks like we've got an actual mission on our hands," Eridel began, "I hope I get to use my swordsmanship for once, since all the technical stuff is getting pretty boring."

"Still at your swordsmanship, I see," Opal replied, "I'm always busy even during peace, and my skills are always needed to help people."

They cut off their conversation as more people came in, and the briefing began.

"This will be the first mission we've had in some time," Marcus began, "I expect perfection. If you haven't heard the news, a large group of pokemon came through the portal about 2 days ago. From the reports, they are led by the same pokemon as last time, the one that controls the others somehow. Right now we need data on the pokemon, so your mission will be to gather as much data on the energy readings, types, and abilities of the pokemon. You will be split into three teams, and each team will have several swordsmen, and will escort a scientist who will carry the more specialized reading equipment. You will all wear phasic armor, since we need to test its effectiveness. Each team will be teleported in to a different part where the pokemon are known to have been. If you are able to capture live pokemon or run into trouble, then signal us and we will teleport you back. That is all, here is your group assignments."

Marcus pointed to the holographic screen and it now displayed the breakdown of the groups and a map of which areas each group would cover. Both Eridel and Opal were in group C, assigned to the central area of Origin City. The two walked quickly to the teleporter.

"Well, I can sense you are disappointed," Opal said as they walked.

"I am a bit," Eridel stated, "I wanted to be closer to the action. The pokemon were in the central city a while ago, and have probably moved on now, so I may not get a chance to try my swordplay after all."

Arriving at the teleporter, C group was the last in line to be sent. Group A and B were sent, and Eridel, Opal, and the 2 others in the group grabbed the beacons that would teleport them back, and stepped into the teleporter.

The group quickly recovered from the vertigo that comes with teleporting, having done it many times in training. They were at the courtyard of the Origin Shrine, where the portal was located. Opal set up some equipment at the portal's base. Exaccus had tried to open the portal before, but had been unable to find the item needed to do so, and failed using artificial methods.

"Perhaps we can get a reading on the portal's energy," explained Opal as she began to take readings.

"It's about as good as anything we could do in these ruins," Eridel answered, upon seeing the state of the rest of the city.

The other two swordsmen scouted the street outside, while Eridel and Opal remained in the courtyard. Soon, the instruments began reading something, so they signaled the others to gather in the courtyard. The readings increased steadily, and a multicolored circle appeared in the air for a second as a white dog-like creature carrying some sort of lizard with a flaming tail came out. The swordsmen surrounded these creatures, but Opal kept them from striking, seeing that one of the two was in trouble.

"So, do we know what these are?" Eridel asked.

"You don't even try to read the archives much, so of course you wouldn't know, Eridel," Opal replied, "If I remember correctly, the lizard is called Charmander, and the other is called Absol. The Charmander isn't conscious, and the Absol seems distressed. Perhaps we can take them back to base without combat."

Absol tried to speak to the humans, and said, "I'm not dangerous! Please, help my friend!"

The humans only heard, "Absol! Ab Absol!" with slight tone changes between the syllables, because the languages of pokemon and humans were entirely different.

"It seems to be trying to speak to us, but I can't understand," Opal told her brother.

"Perhaps you should try speaking to it, and maybe it will trust us," commented Eridel

Opal began her attempt, in a calm and peaceful tone, "I can't understand you. Can you understand us? Come with us, and we can help you."

Absol sensed the emotions and part of the meaning of the words, but could not understand exactly what the human had said. Charmander was faring badly, and these humans seemed like they wanted to help, so Absol got into a peaceful stance and let them approach. The female human picked up Charmander, examining him.

"Oh no! This one is worse than I thought, we need to get it back to base immediately to help it!" Opal commanded.

"Those infected wounds do look nasty. I'm activating the beacons now," Eridel replied.

The beacons were activated, with extra ones put on Charmander and Absol. The five teleported back to the base of Exaccus, but the warp disoriented and surprised Absol quite badly. The other two swordsmen went to inform Marcus of what had happened, while Opal took Charmander to the surgery room. Eridel followed and would assist in the operation, and Absol followed along, hoping that they could help Charmander.

"This will probably be much different than anything you've seen, but you must not interfere, alright?" Opal tried to explain to Absol.

Opal and Eridel finished the pre-surgery disinfection procedures, and took Charmander into the surgery room. The surgery room had advanced body scanning equipment and the latest in medical technology. It could handle any patient, human or animal, up to the size of about 10 feet. It was a sterile white room with several computer screens and a special table in the center. Placing Charmander, on the table, the machines scanned his body, bringing up the data and images on several screens around the table. They prepared this creature for surgery, and were ready to begin.

"This will be one of my most difficult operations yet, from the looks of this," Opal observed, "This creature has a different anatomy than anything I've seen, due to the fire on his tail and in parts of his body. The problem is a bacterial infection, usually called "the creeping ice". If treated early, it would not have been much of a problem, but in this advanced state I will have to try my hardest. Vitals look bad as well, with low heart rate and breathing. We will need to work quickly to save him. Give me some antibiotic gel and a scalpel."

Eridel assisted quickly, handing his sister the necessary items. She cut vertically across Charmander's belly, opening up the internal areas that would need to be worked on. The infection in the three injuries that Charmander had received had combined into a large blue patch that covered most of Charmander's belly. Opening this area, Opal quickly switched to the medical drain, and drained away the bacterial fluid from the area.

"Heart rate has gone critical!" Eridel noticed as a nearby screen began beeping a warning about this.

"No, I won't fail now! Concentrate!" Opal shouted.

Concentrating hard, Opal activated her healing touch. Everything seemed to slow down, and she began working with amazing speed and precision. With the fluid gone, only small black bacterial colonies were left, but they covered most of the internal organs. Charmander's pulse was still critical, but the healing touch was allowing Opal to work faster than any normal surgeon could. She pulled out a medical laser, using it to zap the bacterial colonies growing on the organs. This left small burns, but the antibiotic gel could also heal small enough wounds immediately so Opal applied this next. Working from one organ to the next, Opal removed all the bacterial colonies. Heart rate went back up as she finished, and her ability ended. She stitched up the incision across Charmander's belly, and applied the antibiotic gel and a tissue-regenerating bandage to it. Exhausted, she leaned against the wall.

"Amazing as always," Eridel complimented, but his sister was too tired from the operation and using her ability to respond.

Absol had been watching. Keeping out of the way, he managed to understand the heart rate monitor. He kept a close eye on this, and had been filled with fear when it dropped to lower levels. Now it was rising slowly, and it seemed that Charmander was saved. Absol was relieved.

Opal left the room, and Marcus entered. He looked briefly at the screens, before turning to Eridel.

"Your mission was quite successful with all these bio scans we now have gotten from this surgery," Marcus commented, "Group A was too close to the hostile pokemon and had to be withdrawn, and Group B was only able to observe them from a distance. How did your group manage to find some that wouldn't attack and were separate from the main group?"

"Sir, we were scanning the portal area when it opened and released these two," Eridel responded, "We had to bring them right back to here, but we also got scans on the portal."

"Good work, Eridel," Marcus replied, "I want you to remain here and watch over these two. Get bio scans of the other one as well, and send me those along with the scans on the portal. Opal probably will be resting until later, so I'll send you food for yourself and these two. Once your sister returns, she can take over watching them, but until then remain here."

Marcus left, and now Eridel could only sit here in this room. He took the scan of Absol with an easy reconfiguration of the machinery, and sent the scans to Marcus. With nothing else to do, Eridel went over the scans himself. The scans showed that both of the pokemon were male, and Eridel looked over the rest of the data to pass the time. The scans of Charmander were updated often, and showed the rate of recovery. Looking at this, Eridel was amazed at how high the rate was. At this rate, the Charmander would awaken in a few hours and would recover fully in a few days.


	20. Chapter 19: Liberation

Chapter 19: Liberation

Nerezzik was pleased with his forces. At first he had kept his troops consolidated, in case the humans had some way to defend against his forces. The massive structures and strange contraptions of the humans had worried Nerezzik at first, because he thought they might have developed ways to stop him. As his attacks started, Nerezzik found out that all this development had not improved the weapons of the humans. The first defense forces of the humans only had weapons that could stun temporarily. These weapons were obviously designed only to disable other humans for a short time, probably to stop criminals. The use of such weapons amused Nerezzik, since they did almost nothing to his army. The humans had quickly retreated, and had continued fleeing wherever he went. Nerezzik had most of the structures the humans built attacked as well, burning or toppling them along the way.

Yesterday, however, the humans had surprised Nerezzik. As his forces had moved along, a group of several humans appeared out of nowhere. Their shining blades of energy and protective armor allowed them to defeat a few of his lesser pokemon. These humans had taken many hits, much more than most pokemon could, and then they disappeared. Apparently the humans still had some power that they had not fully used against him yet.

Mew was with Lucario and the others, disguised. Nerezzik was glad he had gotten this pokemon, since it now provided him with information on what his enemies were doing. They apparently were going to head North. Nerezzik could not let them get to the main town that they had talked about, since they knew enough about him that if they combined forces with the humans, they might be able to stop him. Nerezzik decided to spread his army into a few groups, since the humans had not been able to do much harm to the others that were under his control. Several groups spread out, searching for the town the one had called Feldspar. The rest of the army stayed with Nerezzik who was going to head North and go around this large lake that had been described. Nerezzik set out early, for he was going to destroy the humans before his enemies had a chance to reach them.

Nerezzik's main force moved quickly without destroying anything, but his other armies would continue spreading destruction as they moved along. The roads the humans made proved useful for movement and direction, and Nerezzik and his group followed one that eventually led to the edge of the lake. The lake was indeed very large. Its blue water stretched out to the horizon, where if one looked carefully, the tall buildings of the city named Garnet could be seen faintly. The water was clear and clean, and medium size waves crashed against the beaches, spraying foam. Nerezzik continued following this beach, but something approached from the sky.

"I wonder what that is?" thought Nerezzik, "It must be something the humans sent, so I will stop it."

Nerezzik sent a Swellow to intercept, and watched as it approached whatever this incoming thing was. As the Swellow tried attacking the thing, it was blasted away, and the white, red, and blue colored bird came crashing down. The thing had grown closer, and it was tall and purple, with a slightly darker purple tail. As it approached, Regirock, Registeel, and Regice used lock-on and hyper beam, and the three beams streaked towards the strange being. All three beams exploded as they made perfect hits. As the smoke cleared the creature was still there, now surrounded by a blue psychic barrier. It now landed near Nerezzik.

"I'll forgive those attacks you made against me, since you probably don't know who I am," it began.

"Who are you then? You seem to be powerful. Did the humans send you to fight me?" Nerezzik inquired.

"I am Mewtwo, and the humans did not send me. In fact I broke free of them long ago. They created me, using some DNA that they still had from an ancient fossil. All they wanted me for was to test what powers pokemon had, so I broke free. I have wandered this world since, looking for other pokemon. I sensed something new, so I came and found you."

"If the humans made you, then you share a similar creation to me. I was made by the humans, but they only wanted to use me as well. That is why I am liberating all worlds by destroying the humans. If you want, you could join me."

"I think I will join you. I know this world well, and the things happening to it from the humans sicken me. They cover the land, removing anything natural that is in the way of their cities. Let us remove these parasites together."

Now allies, the two and the army moved onwards towards the city of Garnet.

Back in the pokemon world, the news of the departure of Nerezzik and his stronger forces along with the departure of the heroes had spread from the Charizard clan to surrounding areas. The Charizard clan and the Swampert clan held a special meeting to decide how to act upon the news that Absol had given them a few days ago. Both the clans argued like they usually do. Fire and water don't usually mix well. It seemed like the meeting was getting no where until two young pokemon met.

Charmandra went to the meeting at first, but left as the arguments grew repetitive. She was feeling rather thirsty, so she headed down to the river to get some water. After a drink, she felt refreshed, and saw a nice tree to sit under. She headed over but under the tree was the Mudkip with cream colored cheeks from several days ago. Charmandra was about to head back to the meeting, but the Mudkip called her over.

"Hey, you can come sit in the shade if you want. I am Wave, remember me?" the Mudkip greeted.

"Thank you," replied Charmandra, sitting down in the shade, "I am Charmandra, if you don't remember."

"Nice to meet you, again. I am here with my brother Silt, who went to the meeting. It looked boring though, so I'm relaxing here in the shade."

"The meeting is getting nowhere, so that is why I came down here. If only they had someone like Draconis or his friend, the Mudkip named Ben, to inspire them, then I'm sure that something would get done."

"Yes, if only Ben was here," sighed Wave.

"Draconis always gives his best, and we should too. I want to be strong like him, and I think this inaction is pointless. I want to help the world for Draconis."

"I've never really fought much before, and I also want to help the world for Ben. Let's go and tell the others what we think!"

"Well, its mostly the elders, so I'm not sure they would listen."

"We'll make them! We'll save this world while Ben and Draconis save the other one!"

Both Charmandra and Wave headed back to the council that was at the grassland next to the river, determined to change the minds of the others. The elders of both clans argued over what to do, and were getting nowhere.

"This arguing is meaningless!" yelled Wave.

"You're too young to understand and should not intrude upon this council," replied a Charizard.

Charmandra now cut in, "All we do is sit here arguing, while nothing gets done! I'm sick of this! If you won't do something, then I'll have to go myself!"

"And I'll join her!" added Wave.

"Such resolve," muttered the Charizard, "I guess we have been uncompromising, which has led to this."

"We are guilty of being closed to ideas as well," said a Swampert, "Come let us put aside our differences."

The argument ended with the new spirit of cooperation that now was among the two clans. Both sides now worked on a compromise between the defensive strategy of the Swampert and the aggressive strategy of the Charizard. While this was being worked out Silt came out of the crowd to where Wave and Charmandra now waited.

"Well, that was pretty brave to cut in like that, sis," Silt commented.

"I feel that we need to be like Ben, and face our problems head on," she replied.

"So do you really plan on fighting, even though you don't have much experience?" Wave asked.

"Yes, I will do anything to help Ben," Wave said proudly.

"And I will do anything to help Draconis," Charmandra added.

"I don't think I want to leave you two fighting alone, though, so I'll stay with you during the battle," Silt said.

The strategy for attacking the fortress that Nerezzik had left filled with the remnant of his army was now in place, so the three stopped talking to listen. The plan was both offensive and defensive, a nice compromise between the two strategies. A quick strike force would weaken Nerezzik's forces, and a larger group would be there for back-up and would advance slowly, taking the main fighting.

The next day, both clans assembled their warriors and those who wanted to fight. Both Swampert and Charizard would be working together like never before, and marched Northward. Wave, Silt, and Charmandra marched together. Reaching Pokemon Square would take several days, so each night as they stopped, they trained a little bit before sleeping.

Soon they were getting close to the square, and small scouting groups of Nerezzik's forces could be seen, but were easily defeated by the groups of Swampert, Charizard, and their lower evolutions. One such group came near Charmandra, Silt, and Wave, so they decided to test their training by facing the group. The small scouting group consisted of a Beedrill, a Furret, and a Gligar.

"I'll take on the Furret, since it looks the strongest," Silt announced.

"I'll take on the Gligar, then," Wave added.

"I guess that leaves me Beedrill," Charmandra said.

Silt got ready to face the Furret, the long brown and light brown ferret pokemon, but was a little distracted by keeping an eye on the other two. This allowed Furret to hit him with a quick attack, bringing his full attention on the battle. Now behind him, the Furret knocked him over with a take down. Although in a little pain from these attacks, Silt jumped back up, hitting his foe with a mud shot. Silt followed up with a water gun, finishing the opponent off.

Charmandra faced Beedrill, the black and yellow bee pokemon with stingers on its arms and one on it end. Beedrill flew down, trying to use poison sting. Charmandra waited until it was close, and unleashed ember. The fiery attack hit the Beedrill, but its momentum carried it through and its attack hit as well. Charmandra was hit by one of the arm stingers, and a little poison entered the small wound. She felt suddenly shaky and in pain, but managed to shoot one more ember at the Beedrill who now had its back turned to Charmandra after completing its last attack. It fell to the ground, smoking, but Charmandra also fell down on all four limbs as the poison took its toll on her.

Wave faced Gligar, the purple flying pokemon with blue wings, claws, and a spiked tail. Gligar swooped down, using quick attack. Wave was in pain and angered from this attack, and unleashed a water gun. The move struck Gligar, knocking it down to the ground. Wave ran up, and hit the grounded Gligar with a tackle. Although weakened, Gligar clamped onto Wave's back fin and used poison sting, stinging Wave in the side with its tail. Wave kicked mud onto Gligar furiously with Mudslap, finishing it off. She also cringed from the pain of the poison now in her.

"Good battle," complimented Silt. Once he noticed their looks of pain from the poison, he looked more worried and said, "Those status effects can be nasty, I'll go get you pecha berries right now."

A Charmeleon who had been observing the battle walked up and stated, "Those two must be some of the youngest fighting with us, but they did well. I'm in charge of some of the berry supplies, so take these ones and be more careful next time."

The Charmeleon gave Silt two pink Pecha berries. Silt ran over to Charmandra and Wave, and gave them the sweet tasting berries.

"Thank you, brother, that felt really bad," Wave replied, "I'll be more careful to avoid such attacks in the future."

"Looks like we're okay, but we can get a lot better," Charmandra commented.

"Well, for the amount of battling you've done, you are both very good," Silt said.

The three continued onward, and the army stopped for its final night. Pokemon Square was ahead, but it was now a fortress of black stone instead of the cheerful buildings that it had been a while back. All that was left of Nerezzik's army in this world was ahead, and so Charmandra, Wave, Silt, and the rest of the Swamperts, Charizards, and others rested before the vicious battle that would take place tomorrow.


	21. Chapter 20: The Vision Fulfilled

Chapter 20: The Vision Fulfilled

Sleeping in the house, away from the normal light, we got a late start. I was awakened by someone prodding me lightly.

"Ben, wake up, we've slept too long," Lucario said as I put on my shoes.

"What time is it?" I replied sleepily.

"About mid-morning I'd say," Lucario responded.

Looking at a clock on the wall, it was indeed 9:00 AM. Wasting time wasn't good, since each hour lost meant more destruction that Nerezzik would cause. We next woke up Charmander and Ninetales. For a quick breakfast, I grabbed some raisin bran and milk, which we all quickly ate.

Outside in the neighborhood, the birds were chirping in the trees and the sun was shining and it almost seemed peaceful. The absence of other people or cars made it seem forlorn as we moved onward. After leaving the neighborhood, the houses began to thin out, and soon we were near the fields that made up the outermost part of Origin City. Rows of corn and wheat spread out along the highway we traveled. The sun reached its zenith in the sky, and ahead of us the highway led into a forest. This large forest was right near my hometown of Feldpar, and I had camped in it several times during my life. The highway led directly through the forest, so I walked with a sudden energy in my step, since we would be reaching my town by the days end.

The trees grew along the highway, forming a wall of broad leaves. The highway had been cut straight through the forest, and so the sunlight shown down on it, but the forest was in shadows. A few hours later, the sun was beginning to approach the horizon, but the trees were also thinning.

"We should almost be to my town now," I told the others.

"It will be nice what it is like," Charmander replied.

"Too bad we won't be able to stay long," I stated.

Up ahead would be the steep slope that led down from the forest to my town. As we reached the top of the slope, the view ahead made reminded me of the vision from the princess in the Mystic Mountains. Smoke rose from the burning buildings, and so I ran forward to see if the vision had come true. The others fell behind as I rushed forward.

In the city, I stopped as the destruction unfolded before me. I now walked slowly, shocked that my town was now in ruins. The others caught up as I paused to look at my old school, which was now collapsed and smoldering.

Seeing my state of shock, Ninetales tried to console me, "Ben, losses can be painful. I have felt many in my long life."

"Is it all gone?" I replied, "Can I truly change anything? There still might be time!"

Rage and hopelessness both mixed in my mind as I moved onward. I told the others to follow, and ran towards where my home was. The thick smoke from the flames rose into the sky, and the flames seemed more fresh as we got nearer to my home. Soon, the scene before me was exactly like the vision from before. The road and sidewalk were cracked, and the houses were all burning. We moved forward and ran into the fallen street sign. We moved through the thick smoke, and ahead was the collapsed and burnt remains of my home. The Murkrow from the vision flew away, and a group of 50 or so pokemon was ahead.

Seeing the destruction of my home filled me with anger, and I rushed forward and changed to Mudkip again. I blasted the group with several hydro pumps as I ran towards them. A few of them were taken down, and I ran forward and rammed into the side of an Arcanine. It flew backwards, knocking down some of the others, but the rest of the group began to surround me. In my fury, I blasted all around me with mud and water. Suddenly something grabbed me and jumped into the air. Just where I had been was decimated by just about every type of attack as the enemies retaliated. We landed, and I saw it was Lucario who had saved me.

"Rushing in like that against so large a group will only get you killed!" chided Lucario.

"You may be angry, Mudkip, but don't let that cloud your judgement," added Ninetales.

After my furious assault, I was out breath, but was now back to my senses. Rushing such a large group was pretty foolish, and it didn't look like we had much of a chance at defeating them. The Arcanine got back up, and now the group moved towards us.

"Head North!" I yelled to Lucario, Chamander, and Ninetales, "There might still be boats at the docks!"

We ran back to the East, the way we had come from earlier. At the first intersection we turned North, with the others still pursuing. Running as a Mudkip was slower, so I became a human once again. The transformation made me clumsy for a second, and I tumbled forwards. Lucario pulled me up quickly with his strength, even though he was shorter than me now that I was a human again. Charmander's short stride slowed him down and he started falling behind.

"Charmander, I'll carry you," I suggested as we slowed down for him to catch up.

I grabbed Charmander and held him at my side as we continued running. Nerezzik's forces had almost caught up with us, and started shooting a few attacks. A flamethrower blasted the road behind us, but we kept moving. Shortly later a thunderbolt struck right behind my foot. This spurred us to run even faster, and we slowly broke away from those behind us.

Running had quickly gotten us through town, and we were now near the docks. All of the larger boats or the ones with motors were gone now, but one small sailboat probably used for pleasure sailing was left. We ran down the wooden dock, and reached the small boat at its end. The boat was about 10 feet long with a wooden bottom and large white sail. It would have to do for now.

"You three hop in and untie the boat, and I'll give us a push," I commanded as I set Charmander down and transformed to Mudkip.

I hopped in the water while the others untied the boat. I pushed the boat away from the dock, but our enemies had reached its end. Lucario, Ninetales, and Charmander each shot attacks to hold the others off, while we moved quickly out into the water.

"Lucario, tie the rope to me and then try to control the sails!" I yelled out from the water.

Lucario quickly grabbed the rope, and tied it to the front of the boat and around my middle. I swam quickly forward, pulling the boat along. Lucario and Charmander worked on the sail, and figured it out a little bit. Pulled by myself and the wind, the boat flew along the lake, and the shore grew smaller and smaller. The sun began to set, reflecting the oranges, reds, and other colors of the sunset onto the lake. This lake was called Lake Crystal, and it was clear and cool. Pulling the boat for so long was tiring, and as darkness fell I had Lucario untie me. I got back in the boat, and showed Lucario which way to tie the sail. The boat moved forward as the stars came out, and the other three all fell asleep to the gentle rocking of the boat.

After seeing that the vision had been fulfilled, I thought about the day. My home and town were gone, and I had been unable to stop it. Saving the pokemon world had been my destiny before, but was seeing the destruction of my world my destiny now? Could we overcome Nerezzik, and would anyone in the cities of Garnet or Obsidian be of any help? After ages of peace and with almost no weapons, it seemed like we were the only ones that could defend against Nerezzik. How could we overcome his numbers or the strength of him and his strongest allies? It all seemed hopeless to me. I wanted to go back to the happy times, such as when the days of our rescue team or the time I had spend in the swamp with Wave. Yes, I would fight for peace and happiness, and return victorious to relax in the swamp when it was all done. I slowly drifted to sleep while the boat moved forward through the black water of the dark night.


	22. Chapter 21: Recovery

Chapter 21: Recovery

Hours passed after the surgery, and slowly Charmander came to his senses. Looking around, he did not know where he was. He felt too weak to get up, and suddenly a human was looking down on him.

"Such an amazing rate of healing," Eridel said, "You probably don't understand me, but I'm here to help you."

Chamander heard the human speaking, and could sense that it was not going to hurt him, even without being able to understand what it said. Charmander kept looking around. He was on a table of some kind, and strange boxes flashed nearby with symbols that he could not understand. Looking down at his belly, Charmander could see bandages wrapped around him. Down on his arm, some tube attached to a bag full of liquid led down to another set of bandages near his wrist. At the far end of the table, much to Charmander's surprise, Absol climbed up.

"Charmander! You're awake!" Absol greeted happily.

"Yeah, I guess so. What happened and how did we get here?" Chamander replied weakly.

Eridel stood next to the table, observing the conversation. Apparently they could talk, but humans must not be able to understand it. All Eridel heard was the two saying a few syllables, the ones from there names, but apparently the two could understand one another. He set the computer to record them, since his sister might be able to work out a translation. After all, she had made translators for creatures like dolphins. As Eridel started the recording, the two continued.

"At the battle back at the relic, I came in just as you had been hit by the attack of the steel pokemon," Absol began, "I helped the others a little, but Mudkip said to help you. An infection got in your wounds, and so I carried you. You're not the lightest of Charmanders, but I took you to your clan. They had no way to help the infection, though, and so our only hope was to bring you here. I'm not sure where 'here' is exactly, but I do know that we are in the human world now. Mudkip and the others came here as well, a few days before I did, but I'm not sure where they are now. When I got here, these humans helped me, and removed the infection from you. Without them, you might have been dead."

"Thank you, Absol," Charmander replied. Charmander also turned to the human and said, "Thank you for helping me."

"I don't think they can understand us, and we can't understand them," Absol stated.

"Oh, well, I'm feeling tired, so I think I'll rest. It's nice to see you again."

"Okay, rest and recover, and hopefully I won't have to carry you ever again. My back is still a little sore from that."

Absol sat next to Charmander, who fell asleep almost immediately. Absol now watched the human, who had been watching them. They seemed nice, and Absol knew at least the red-haired and white-haired ones could be trusted.

Another hour passed, and Absol was almost to doze off, when the Opal entered the room again. After the exhausting surgery, she had went to her quarters and taken a nap to recover. As soon as she woke up, she had come back to see how things were going.

"Looking great, sis," Eridel whispered as she entered.

She looked at her reflection in the glass on the door, and her hair was a little messed up. She went over to her patient, and it was doing much better now. Its breathing now was the slow rhythm of something sleeping, and the screen showed the pulse to be calm and even. With this out of the way, she turned to Eridel.

"So, how have they been doing?" she asked quietly.

"The Charmander is doing much better," he replied, "About an hour ago, he woke up and both him and the Absol began to talk to each other."

"They speak to each other?" she interrupted, "Did you record it?"

"Yes, I did, I knew that you might be able to work out a translation program, so of course I recorded it."

"Perfect! Where are the files?"

"I put them into my own files, so we can access them anywhere. Perhaps we should leave these two to rest and recover."

Both Eridel and Opal moved to the pre-surgery area. There was a few computers here, along with the supplies, equipment, and other things for surgery. It also provided a clear window into the surgery room, so that both of the pokemon could be watched while they worked on the computer. With the humans gone, Absol fell asleep.

Eridel transferred the data over to his sister's files, and she first looked over all the data from the surgery.

"Interesting," she muttered, browsing through the data. "Both are male. The Charmander is maturing, and it seems as though its body is making ready for some rapid change. The other one, Absol, is a bit older, and seems to be fully mature. And just look at the recovery rate, amazing!"

"Well, I've already looked over some of the data myself, and I do agree that the healing rate is remarkable. Much faster than nearly anything we've seen," Eridel replied.

"Yes, they do have an interesting physiology. I think I'll move on to those recordings now."

Opal brought up the recordings, and played them several times. Two syllables made up the Absol's words, "ab" and "sol", but the tone, length, and other things about these two syllables made changed vastly each time. The Charmander spoke with three syllables, "char", "man", and "der", and the tone and length also changed vastly each time the syllable was used.

"Well, they do seem to have a complex language," Opal stated to her brother, "I think it is more of the tone that carries the meaning, since they speak using different syllables. If I'm correct, each pokemon only uses the syllables in its name, so it has to be the tone, stress, and length that make up the meaning. I'll try applying some of the algorithms I developed when making other translators.

The first attempt did not work at all, and the computer issued forth a nonsense mix of words that was supposed to be the translation. Frustrated, Opal made several adjustments, and slowly the computer's translation of the pokemon started to make sense. After her last attempt the computer output:

Thank you, Absol

Thank you for helping me.

I don't think they can understand us, and we can't understand them.

Oh, well, I'm feeling tired, so I think I'll rest. It's nice to see you again.

Okay, rest and recover, and hopefully I won't have to carry you ever again. My back is still a little sore from that.

By matching this new translation with the video of the pokemon talking, it became apparent that they might be just as intelligent as humans.

"How nice, the Charmander wanted to thank you," Opal said to Eridel.

"Well, it looks like you'll want to spend time with them now, and I'm tired," Eridel responded, "I think I'll go get some sleep, just like both our friends in there are. Marcus told me that someone always needs to watch them, so don't leave them alone."

"Okay, that will be fine," Opal answered, "See you later. I can't wait to see what they have to say! I will work on a reverse translator now, so they can understand us."

"Okay, have fun with that, goodnight."

Looking at the time, it was indeed 9:00 pm, and both the pokemon were asleep. Opal worked furiously on her reverse translator until late into the night. Finally it was finished, and she would be able to talk with them in the morning. They seemed to be much smarter than any creature that Opal had made a translator for before, so she looked forward to the morning. She wanted to be rested herself as well, and so she got one of the night guards to look over the room for her.

In the morning, Opal woke up at her usual 6:00 am time, but instead of doing her usual morning routine, she grabbed a quick breakfast. Opal headed down from the residential area of Exaccus to the simulators, where she knew her brother would be. She stepped inside, and watched her brother training against some new opponents that had been added from the data that had been gathered on the hostile pokemon. Eridel cut into one holographic foe with his sword, but then Opal paused the program.

"This had better be something important," Eridel said, annoyed. He turned to face the door, and when he saw that it was his sister, he greeted her with: "Oh, it's you. I was just getting into my training, and now you have interrupted it. The data from the other day has been added so that the opponents reflect our current enemies. So what are you here for?"

"Don't be so upset, you can train anytime," Opal responded, "I came to see if you wanted to come try out my completed translator. We should be able to talk with the pokemon now. I've put the translator on this small handheld computer."

Opal waved one of the small handheld computers in her hand, showing that the translator was now on it. The handheld computers were about half an inch thick, with about 8 by 5 inches for the screen on the front. Eridel put his photon sword away. He sheathed his sword, putting the thin blade of glowing white energy into its sheath, which was strapped to his side. Eridel also had on his blue phasic armor, but it was light, so he didn't need to take it off as the two headed down to the surgery room.

At the surgery room, the guard left now that Eridel and Opal were there. They entered the room quietly, but the noise was still enough to wake up Absol and Charmander.

After yawning, Absol turned to Charmander and said, "They are back now. Maybe they brought food, I sure am starving. How about you?"

"I'm feeling better than before," Charmander replied, "Now, I'm feeling really hungry, too. It must have been days from when we ate last."

"For you it has, so let's try to get them to give us something," Absol stated.

Opal had been following the conversation on her computer, and now she used the translator for her words.

"Good morning, you must be hungry," Opal spoke into the computer, "I hope you can understand this now, and we can understand you."

The computer took the words, and changed it so that the pokemon would understand. Although not sure what the thing in her hand was, Absol and Charmander knew it was what let them understand.

"Yes, we are very hungry," Absol began, "Do you have anything to eat?"

Opal responded, "Yes, we will take you to where we can get you some food, so follow along, and we'll take your friend with us as well."

Opal rescanned Charmander, and since his recovery was going so well, the IV of medicines could be removed. She removed the tube, while Eridel got one of the beds with wheels to take Charmander to where they were going. The four walked down to one of the animal areas that was empty. The area had grass, bushes, a tree, and a small pond. It was designed to hold animals. The area was on the outer part of the Exaccus building and it was surrounded by thick glass on the ceiling and one wall, while the other walls all were the color most of the building was. On the way there, Opal had ordered some food for the pokemon. The scans of both pokemon had included stomach content, so it was apparent that they ate fruit, berries, and other things like that.

While they waited for the food, Absol drank deeply out of the pond.

"Man, I was thirsty until now, this water is pretty good," Absol stated.

"I want some as well," Charmander said, "I think I can get up now."

"Be careful, you are still recovering," came a response from Opal.

Charmander got up slowly, and Opal gently placed him next to the water. He drank deeply after being unconscious for some time, and the water helped to make him feel refreshed.

"So, now that you can understand us, I would like to thank you," Charmander stated as he sat down in the grass.

"It is my job to help others," Opal responded, "I am Opal, and this is my brother, Eridel."

"Well, I'm Draconis, the Charmander, and this is my friend and rescue team member, Absol."

"I never thought I'd be speaking with humans, but its nice to meet you," Absol added.

Eridel overcame his reluctance to speak with the pokemon, and stated, "It is nice to meet both of you. Welcome to our world, Arrol, and to this place, called Exaccus."

The food was brought in, and the tray containing slices of fruit and many types of berries was placed on the grass. Absol waited while Charmander slowly walked up, and they both began eating vigorously. Soon most of the food was gone, and Eridel took the tray back to the building and then returned.

"I hope the food was good," Opal began, "I tried to make it similar to what you normally eat, based on our scans."

"It was almost as good as what we have in our world," Absol replied, "What is that thing you are holding?"

"This is a computer," Opal answered, and then went on to explain a little about the many technologies and things of the humans.

Both Charmander and Absol listened intently about the history, technology, and knowledge of the humans. Eridel also added his own knowledge, and both he and his sister spoke for quite some time to help the pokemon understand. After they were done explaining, both Charmander and Absol seemed to understand some of what was said, but technology was just so new to them that they were still having trouble understand it.

"I think I get most of it now, but I'm feeling tired again," Charmander responded, yawning.

"Get your rest," Opal replied, "You seem to be recovering quickly, and sleep will help it go even faster. I'll see you tomorrow."

Charmander laid down in the grass, and was soon asleep. Both the humans left, so Absol looked out through the glass. There was forests that grew up along the slope of some tall mountains. At the top, the forests stopped growing, leaving only rock and snow. It reminded Absol a little bit of the mountains he lived in before joining Team Saviors, and so he continued to gaze through the glass and think about his past.

Back in the pokemon world, also known as Geonne, Absol had lived alone among the mountains for many years. Joining Rescue Team Saviors had brought him happiness and friends, but he still retained some of his solitude. He was glad to be back with Charmander once again.

Absol continued reminiscing and gazing out at the mountains. Like usual Absol could sense natural disaster by focusing on the world's energies, but this world was much more stable than Geonne, since its balance had not been upset. Overall this world of Arrol seemed very calm and peaceful. The peaceful and calm energies of the planet soothed Absol, and he soon was napping in the sunny grass.

The next day, Opal and Eridel came bright and early. This time Absol and Charmander told the humans about their own world and its history that they had learned about on their journeys. They explained about rescue teams and the recent disasters, including how a human named Ben had become a pokemon and helped save the world. They finished with the tale of their recent travels to stop Nerezzik.

At the conclusion of their story, Eridel questioned them, "So a human named Ben became a pokemon and helped save your world, even after the other pokemon treated you as criminals and forced you to run across the world?"

"Yes, although I usually just refer to him as Mudkip, since that is the pokemon he became," Charmander replied, "I wonder where he is now. As I said, we were separated in that last battle with Nerezzik."

"We at least know where Nerezzik, the leader of our enemies is," Eridel stated, "He is in our world now, causing destruction, and causing death to any who don't escape. Our organization, Exaccus, is trying to stop him, and maybe if we have your help, we may be able to. Hey Opal, isn't Ben the name of that kid who has gone missing twice in recent years?"

Opal responded, "Yes, I believe it is. I think he is also on our potential recruits list, since he has scored highly throughout his academic career. Do you want to go look up more on him?"

"Sure," answered Eridel, "I'll try to find more on him. If we can find him and the pokemon he is traveling with, we might be able to gain more useful information. I'll see what our computers have."

"So you want to find Ben as well?" asked Charmander, "I'll help too. He is my best friend."

"You had better recover first, but that should only take a day or two more," Opal responded, "In fact, the stitches should be able to be removed tomorrow."

"Stitches?" questioned Charmander.

"Yes, we had to sow up your wound after the operation," answered Opal, "In fact you could come see what the operation was like on my computer if you want."

Charmander was curious as to how the humans healed him, even after Absol had told him a little about the operation earlier, so he went over to Opal, and she held the computer out for him to see. The video from the operation played on the screen. Charmander was amazed how bad the infection was at the start, and how they removed it so quickly. It was strange seeing his own body being operated on, even on video, but Charmander continued watching. At the end, Charmander was relieved that he was recovering so quickly after seeing what had happened. These humans had amazing abilities with their technology.

Eridel had gone to check the database for more information about Ben. Pulling up the file, Eridel found just what he needed. Ben had lived in Feldspar for a while now, but had disappeared twice in recent years. He was almost to move on to college, and his high grades were all there for Eridel to see. If Ben was back in this world, he would certainly pass through Feldspar.

Feldspar itself had been evacuated after Nerezzik first came into Aroll, and just now it had been attacked by some of the controlled pokemon. Ben was not on any of the refugee passenger lists, but he probably wouldn't be, since he was traveling with several pokemon. Eridel then pulled up the satellite info, which required another password. Luckily, he had been here long enough to receive clearance to use the satellite data. He pulled up the images of Feldspar from recent days, and looked over them.

At first, nothing moved in the evacuated town, but today a large group of pokemon moved in and started destroying the town. Eridel kept looking near the outside edges to see if any others had passed through, and was rewarded in some of the most recent images. Zooming in on the new group that appeared, Eridel could see that it was a human, along with a few other pokemon. Soon the smoke made so the group could not be seen, and Eridel could not tell if they were alright. He kept moving through the slides, until he got to the live data. On the live data he saw some movement, and saw that the smaller group was running on the northern docks. They exchanged several attacks with the larger army of pokemon, and then escaped on a boat and headed North. Eridel believed that they were now heading to Garnet, and should be there tomorrow.

With this new data, Eridel prepared a report of what he had learned, and took it to Marcus at the command room. Marcus was busy commanding some of the other Exaccus members, and soon Eridel learned why.

"Eridel, I think our preparations are almost ready, you should help with them," Marcus suggested.

"Sir, I've been working with my sister and the pokemon all day," Eridel responded, "I have a report detailing some of what we learned once Opal finished making a translator."

"Okay, if that is all, then you should help with our current project. With the data on the portal and the pokemon that we got yesterday, we've been doing several things. The first is to upgrade the phasic armor and photon swords to be better at combating the pokemon. The second is to finish working on the shield generator."

"Wait a shield generator? I though that was only a theoretical possibility."

"With the data on the portal's energy we got from the readings, we located another thing with similar energy. It was a very old item, held in one of the museums at Obsidian. It is known as the fire emblem, and is a large circular crystal. It probably could be used to open the portal, but the energy and frequencies it has will also be able to generate a stable shield. We're working it out right now, and with it we will be able to protect Obsidian from any enemies."

"Interesting. I should give you my armor and sword, so you can upgrade them."

"Give them to one of the assistants, and I'll read your report, Eridel."

Marcus skimmed over the report as Eridel gave his sword and armor to the assistant.

Eridel returned and asked, "So, what do you think of the report?"

Marcus replied, "It is interesting, but there isn't anyone to spare at the moment. We must protect Obsidian first, and then we could go look for this Ben and the other pokemon that could help us. They haven't been able to stop Nerezzik yet, though, so this shield will be our best bet for protection now. Perhaps I'll send you and Opal to find them later."

"Thank you, sir, I'll return to my sister now."

"Okay, but be ready to move out. We'll be moving some of our operations to Obsidian as we finish the shield. In fact, be ready to head out tomorrow afternoon."

Tomorrow afternoon? It was already 6:00 pm, so Eridel went to tell his sister the news. She had stayed and been with Absol and Charmander all day, but as Eridel arrived both of the pokemon were now asleep after having eaten their dinner. Opal sat, observing them.

"Hey, how's it going?" Eridel greeted.

"It's going well," reported Opal, "I took Charmander for another scan, and the stitches could be removed, so I removed them. Amazing how fast he healed, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is, but I have other news for you."

Eridel told her of what Exaccus would be doing, and they both read the official bulletins about it on the computers. They prepared for tomorrow with their remaining time, and then went to bed.


	23. Chapter 22: Fighting With Steel

Chapter 22: Fighting With Steel

The sun arose, lighting the sky a crimson red. Wave, Silt, and Charmandra awoke and prepared for the coming battle. The air felt like the tense calm before a storm breaking. After a short time that felt like forever, the battle was about to begin.

The Charizard and Swampert army moved up to the black fortress, where many pokemon stood on top of the walls and on the ground, ready to fight. Many Charizard launched upwards, and the Swampert launched attacks from the ground.

On the high walls, a Charizard flamed an Exeggutor. The Exeggutor flailed around madly, try to douse the flames. Meanwhile, several electric pokemon zapped the Charizard, and it crashed down onto the wall, smashing a few of its foes where it fell.

Up ahead, a Swampert was blasting water at a Rhydon, when a razor lead took it out from the side. A Charizard took out the grass pokemon who did this sneak attack, and another Swampert helped finish the Rhydon.

Flames, water, and mud shot forth at blazing speeds from the Charizards and Swamperts. The enemy had greater numbers, but weaker pokemon. The advantage Nerezzik's forces had was their type diversity, so if any Charizard or Swampert was unprepared, it usually was hit by a super-effective attack quickly. This tactic made for some large initial losses for the Charizard and Swampert army, but the pokemon with super-effective attacks were taken out quickly. The army slowly pushed forward, spreading out into, around, and on the black fortress.

Safe near the main group, Wave, Charmandra, and Silt watched as Nerezzik's forces slowly lost ground. Their own group moved forward, and now was at the entrance to the fortress. As they entered, the others in their group engaged enemy pokemon in the halls, and the flames, mud, and water of attacks would sometimes be seen.

"Come on, we haven't even fought yet!" Wave called as she moved forward down the middle of the several halls.

"You should be thankful for that," Silt mumbled as he ran after her.

"Wait for me!" Charmandra yelled after the two as she caught up.

The large hallway was forbidding with its rough black edges. They moved down it quickly, but it was strangely deserted. Deeper and deeper they moved, and soon only Charmandra's flame gave them any light. It seemed as though the dark hallway would go on forever, but as they reached the center of the fortress, it opened up into a bright room again. This large room was a large circular room, and it had four exits, one in each direction. Above, several holes in the ceiling let in a little light, casting most of the room in shadow. At the center, there seemed to be a large pile of chunks of some metal that reflected the dim light.

Wave, Silt, and Charmandra entered the room, but after they walked a short ways into it, the metal pile suddenly reared up, smashing the doorway behind them, so that it collapsed.

"Whoa, that is a massive Steelix!" yelled Silt in surprise.

"You've guessed who I am," Steelix replied, "but I will not let you escape alive. Nerezzik chose me to guard this fortress, and I shall do it until my last breath!"

With this last comment, Steelix rushed forwards towards the three at an amazing speed.

"Watch out!" warned Silt as he pushed Charmandra and Wave out of the way of the attack.

Although the other two avoided harm, Silt was hit head-on by Steelix's powerful double-edge attack. The massive weight and momentum of the attack launched him backwards into the wall at sickening speed. The wall cracked slightly as Silt hit into it, leaving a slight bloody smear where his back had hit. Silt fell face first onto the ground, while Steelix ground to a stop nearby.

"I… I can still… fight," Silt wheezed, and he wiped a little bit of blood running from his mouth as he got up.

"No brother, he's too powerful!" yelled Wave from across the room, "He's nothing like we trained to fight!"

"Don't give up… so easily," Silt replied.

"One attack, that's all it will take to finish any of you now!" roared Steelix as he charged towards Silt.

This time, Silt shot his own mud shot, but in his weakened state, it only damaged Steelix a little, and did not slow him down much. Steelix readied another attack, but Charmandra's flamethrower attack and Wave's water gun interrupted. Steelix was annoyed now, and hit all three with his iron tail, sending them each flying across the room.

After the attack, Silt lay next to the wall, unconscious. Blood still trickled down his back from the earlier wound as well. Wave had been knocked into the air, and had rolled a few times after a hard landing, but stood up once again. Charmandra had landed on her back, and the stone floor had scraped it up badly.

"We must protect my brother!" commanded Wave as she rushed to protect him.

Charmandra got up and stood ready next to Wave, and they both were ready to defend the fallen Silt. Steelix coiled up and launched himself towards them for his finishing attack. The massive metal head rushed towards Wave and Charmandra, who both unleashed one last attack each. The flame and mud hit Steelix, but his forward charge continued. Both Wave and Charmandra closed their eyes right as they were about to be crushed by Steelix, and time seemed to stop as they waited for the attack to come.


	24. Chapter 23: Garnet, the Red Gem City

Chapter 23: Garnet, The Red Gem City

"Well, it looks like another beautiful dawn," Ninetales stated to Lucario.

Indeed it was, and the bright yellow sun rose into the sky over the pristine water of Lake Crystal. Gentle waves and winds pushed the boat forward, and on the horizon were the tall towers of Garnet. The skyscrapers and most of the buildings in the city all featured a rusty red color, since this place was known as the red gem city.

"Yes, I agree that it is," Lucario responded.

"Ages have passed through my life, but each sunrise means another day, whatever it brings," mused Ninetales, "This journey is making me see how old I actually am. Centuries wear down the body eventually, and it seems like it is harder to continue on each day. Still, carrying the hope of our own world and this one is both a burden and a blessing."

"I know a little how you feel, Ninetales. Centuries passed as I rested in the shrine, and everything changed when I returned. Although I usually don't like to admit it, even I, Lucario, the great hero, do feel a bit lonely at times. All the old friends I knew are gone, and the world has changed, but with brave youth such as Charmander and Mudkip, the world has a bright future if we can restore the way things should be."

"I suppose we should wake up Charmander and Mudkip now, so that we can get going."

Lucario and Ninetales awakened Charmander and me. Garnet was ahead, so I went for a morning swim and pulled the boat for a ways. The cool water woke me up, but also got me to thinking. Charmander seemed much more silent than usual, but perhaps it was just because of being in a different world. I pulled the boat quickly for some time but stopped for a rest and breakfast.

As we ate, the wind carried us closer to the shore, and after a little bit more pulling, we arrived at the sparkling clean beach of Garnet. The soft white sand and the park full of trees, grass, and flowers that was next to the beach was as beautiful as ever, but it was empty, unlike the last time I was here, years ago. Next to the park were the scattered resorts sporting the city's usual red color, and these also seemed like empty shells without the usual tourists.

"Looks like everyone has evacuated here as well," I observed.

"That must mean Nerezzik's forces are nearby," Lucario stated, "Your people have no way to stop him, so they must run. It must be terrible to have to keep running, unsure of the future and with no way to change it."

"We are here, though, and if we keep searching, I'm sure we'll find a way to defeat Nerezzik," I replied, "Now let's move on to the main city and then on to Obsidian."

Through the silent green parks and onto the empty streets we continued. The resorts and hotels quickly changed to the extravagant shopping center in the center of Garnet, famous for its gemstones of the same name as the town. As we walked, there was some noise coming from one of the shops, so I changed back to a human and we investigated.

We approached one of the various gemstone shops, but unlike some of the others, this one had nothing left in its display window. Outside was an old brown truck, and a few large metal boxes in the back. Upon entering, an old, stout, bald man sat packing the last of the gems and jewelry into more of the metal boxes, but he heard us and turned around.

Upon seeing the pokemon, he jumped up and shouted, "Back devils! I'll never let my artwork fall into your hands!"

Since we did not attack him, he calmed down a little, so I decided to speak with him. "Greetings, I'm Ben, and these are my friends, Lucario, Ninetales, and Charmander," I greeted.

"Those things are your friends! Don't you know they've been destroying everything? In fact the main group was pretty close to here last time I heard." was his surprised response.

"There is only one of these creatures, called pokemon, that is actually evil," I tried to reassure him, "It gained control of many others, but we are trying to stop it."

"You're a strange kid if you think only you and your, uh, friends can defeat the massive forces I've seen on the news," he replied, "by the way, I'm Reko. This was my shop, but now I must pack away everything. Each gem I carve is a work of art, and I can't bear to leave them all behind. Since you're here, would you mind carrying these boxes to the truck for me? My old bones can't take it very well."

We grabbed the boxes and loaded them into the back of the truck. After this the old man seemed a little more curious about Charmander, Lucario, and Ninetales, so he came closer to examine them.

"Well, these ones seem pretty nice, but I still don't trust them," Reko stated, "So, can your friends talk, or how do you understand them?"

"I can understand them fine," I replied to the man, "Hey, Charmander, Ninetales, and Lucario why don't you introduce yourselves?"

"Wait, I only understood that last question. What else have you been saying?" Charmander asked.

"Wait, what did you just say to them, and what did they say to you?" asked Reko, confused.

"I can explain," Lucario stated, "Since you can be both a pokemon and a human, Ben, you understand both languages, but us pokemon must learn how to speak human ourselves. I haven't spoken in the human language for ages, but I could try again."

"I also didn't understand what you and the man said," Ninetales added.

"Okay, I guess I'll have to interpret for you and Charmander then," I replied, "At least you can speak our language, Lucario, so you should give it a try."

I turned back to the Reko and explained our situation, "Well, apparently both humans and pokemon speak different languages. I can understand both, and one of my friends also does as well."

"Seems like the more I learn about you, the stranger a person you are," Reko stated.

Lucario now was ready to try to speak human, and he began, "Hail ye, I am Lucario, and these are Charmander and Ninetales, my fellows along our travails."

"Your friend talks like he was out of an old book," observed Reko.

I laughed a little at Lucario's archaic human speech, and said, "Lucario, you must know the way people spoke ages ago, but at least you can talk to humans."

"Well, it has been ages since I last had to speak with humans," Lucario replied defensively.

"Well, I guess it's time for me to move along to Obsidian," Reko stated, "I heard they have some way to stop the pokemon there, so that's where everyone is headed. Since you helped me, you could all ride in the back of the truck, if you want."

Suddenly a young girl, who looked to be around 11 or so came running up the street. She had neck length brown hair worn in a strange fashion, with a part of the hair held upwards on either side. She had on a white shirt and red pants, and seemed almost to glide as she ran along. Behind her, some of Nerezzik's forces appeared, and in down a distant sideroad, Nerezzik himself ran out.

"I've spent too long packing! We need to get out of here now!" yelled Reko as he hopped into the truck.

"Wait, we need to help that girl!" I commanded as the truck started.

"I'll drive slow, and she can hop in!" Reko responded from the driver's seat.

We got in the back as the truck started moving forward a little slower than normal running speed. The little girl ran incredibly fast for someone her age, and soon she was almost caught up to us.

"Jump in and we'll take you to safety!" I yelled to her.

She jumped upwards, much higher than I had seen any person jump before, and landed in the back of the truck with us. Reko accelerated now, pushing the truck to its limits of acceleration and speed. All of us in the back had to hold on for our lives as the truck now shot down the roads of Garnet.

Nerezzik stopped running and glared at us as we moved away. Deoxys was next to him, as well as two others that I couldn't tell from the distance. The large and bulky Regirock, Registeel, and Regice also caught up with Nerezzik. He and his group started following us again, but we steadily moved ahead of them. The little girl started to cry as we moved away, and looked back at a blue and white pokemon that was next to Nerezzik in the distance.

"You're safe with us now," I said to the girl, "I'm Ben. Why didn't someone as young as you leave with the rest of the people?"

"L-Latios, I wasn't able to help you," she sobbed as she stared back.

"Is Latios someone else like you that was left behind?" I asked.

"Those evil pokemon got him," she tearfully replied.

"I'm afraid there is nothing we can do then. I heard they kill all humans they run into," I stated.

"Well, at least he's not human then," she responded.

Surprised, I asked, "What do you mean?"

"From your heart, I can tell that you are kind and helpful, and know much about pokemon, so I suppose I can reveal this to you," she answered mysteriously.

Suddenly instead of a little girl there was a pokemon. It had a red forehead and lower body, and a white neck and shoulders. It looked sleek and soft at the same time, and it had two red wings and two small arms. In the center of its chest was blue marking.

"I am Latias," she said after this transformation, "The girl was just an illusion I use to hide my true form. Latios looks like me, and is part of my family. We both went to see the pokemon that had come, since we thought the only pokemon were Latias and Latios on this world. When we tried to meet them, they attacked, and Latios held them back and told me to run."

"I never thought there would be pokemon on my own world!" I replied, stunned at the transformation.

"How can you understand me anyway? No other humans have before."

"Well I'm not a normal human, I suppose I have something of my own to reveal, since you trusted us with your secret."

I showed Latias my transformation in Mudkip, and then changed back to a human again.

"Amazing!" she responded.

"I have the power to be either a human or a pokemon, but it was Lucario here who told me how."

"It wasn't that much to teach you," Lucario added, "Hello, Latias, I'm Lucario."

Both Ninetales and Charmander also greeted Latias, but she still had many more questions.

"What has happened to Latios, and why won't he listen to me now?" she asked.

"Nerezzik, the one who controls all those other pokemon that are attacking, has gained control over him," Ninetales answered.

"Is there a way to free him?" she questioned.

"Yes, if he is unconscious, me or Ninetales possess abilities that could free him," Lucario responded, "There is also a better way. We are trying to free the pokemon Aureolus, who will be better able than anyone else to free those under Nerezzik's control. If you want, you could join us, and help to free Latios."

"I could never stand against such numbers of enemies alone, so I'll join you to free Latios," Latias replied, "Where are you and the other pokemon from?"

"We come from the world of Geonne, a world where only pokemon live," Ninetales answered.

So Latias joined us, and the truck continued onward down the road to Obsidian. The city moved further behind us, and the farmlands between Garnet and Obsidian whizzed by. We still had a little bit of food, and passed it around as we moved onward. The sun was high in the sky as the buildings of Garnet faded away and ahead the black and silver towers of Obsidian and the surrounding city came into view. As we moved forward, the city looked to be a flurry of activity. Several other vehicles ahead stopped at a checkpoint, and then moved on, and soon we neared the checkpoint ourselves. Latias resumed her illusion, but it would be impossible to hide the others. I wondered how the guards would react as we neared the checkpoint.


	25. Chapter 24: Decision of the Heart

Chapter 24: Decision of the Heart

Charmandra and Wave had closed their eyes against the oncoming doom. After hearing a scraping noise, they could both feel the cold steel pressing them downwards into the ground, almost in slow motion. Suddenly, they could no longer feel Steelix moving.

Opening her eyes, Charmandra exclaimed, "What? What just happened?"

"Are we dead?" Wave asked.

Steelix's large body was above them, obscuring most of the dim light and reflecting the soft glow of Charmandra's tail flame. Some orange feet and some light green feet, both with claws, could be seen on opposite sides of the Steelix, and further still, the lower half of a pokemon that was yellow and brown could be seen.

Suddenly, the Steelix was thrown away from Wave and Charmandra, and they could now see who had saved them. Charizard, Tyranitar, and Alakazam of Team ACT now stood there, and had stopped Wave, Charmandra, and Silt from being crushed. The battle was not over yet, but it might as well have been. The powerful flames of Charizard, a devastating punch from Tyranitar, and the psychic powers of Alakazam finished off Steelix.

"Are you alright?" Alakazam asked.

"Yes, thanks to you, we are," Charmandra replied, "How did you get into here so quickly?"

"Our rescue team will always save those in peril," Charizard added proudly, "We came here with the legendary birds, and dropped in from the holes in the roof. I'm itching for more battle, let's go."

"Hold on Charizard," Alakazam reprimanded, "That Marshtomp is injured. We should help them back to the main group."

"My brother needs help, and if you could help us get him out of here, we should be fine," Wave responded with a tone of urgency.

Tyranitar picked up Marshtomp, and the group made its way out of the fortress. Once outside, they found one of the Charmeleons that held the berries, and got an oran berry for Silt. The wound stopped bleeding and began healing, and Team ACT went off to join the battle again.

As Wave and Charmandra stayed with Silt, the fierce battle came to a close. The legendary birds flew above the fortress, raining down fire, ice, and lightning. Team ACT also took out a large share of opponents with flame, rock, and psychic attacks. With all the enemies defeated, Alakazam set about removing the control from their minds as best he could. The world of Geonne and the pokemon living there would be free from Nerezzik's control for now.

Once the fortress was cleared out, the legendary birds combined their attacks against the fortress. The black stone it was made from collapsed into ruin and debris. Pokemon Square would have to be rebuilt, but with cooperation it would happen quickly.

Silt woke up after a few hours, but was still in a lot of pain from the battle. He had sustained several cracked ribs from hitting the wall. Wave and Charmandra both helped get him the berries and plants that would heal him quickly.

The other pokemon were busy preparing a victory celebration. With no more pokemon left in Geonne under Nerezzik's control, the world was free again. The pokemon that were freed joined in the celebration, gathering food or helping to clear away the remains of the fortress. By dinnertime, a large feast had been gathered, and nearly all remains of the fortress had been cleared away. A spirit of victory and renewed hope filled the air, but there were two who seemed unaffected by it.

"Even if we won, I still am not at ease," Charmandra confided to Wave.

"Neither am I," Wave replied., "I still think of Ben, who has to face Nerezzik."

"Well, at least he was safe when we last heard," Charmandra stated with a hint of bitterness, "I still don't know about Draconis, who was in terrible condition last time I saw him. I must know if he is safe, if I am to go on."

"With these injuries, my travels will be at an end for some time," Silt cut in, "but I believe that you two should not have to live with such anxiety over the ones you care about. I can tell you both feel deeply for the ones you talk about, and they may even need your help. You should follow your hearts."

"Do you really think we should, Silt?" Wave asked, surprised at her brother's insight.

"Yes," Silt answered, "Even if you are not the strongest, you will be able to help them."

So as the celebration commenced, Wave and Charmandra decided to find Draconis and Ben, and see if they could help them. The next day dawned, and they bid farewell to Silt. Charmandra convinced a Charizard to fly them to the portal, and after a flight over the plains and into the ruins, they entered the portal into the human world of Aroll the next morning. Neither knew what was beyond the swirling gateway, but both were determined to help.


	26. Chapter 25: The Shielded City, Part 1

Chapter 25: The Shielded City, Part 1: Portal's End

Through the swirling portal and the strange place of light went Wave and Charmandra. Soon, they arrived in the same courtyard that was where the portal ended. Around them were the large buildings and streets of the city, which now were the skeletal remains of the city that had once been full of people.

"Wow, I didn't know it would be like this!" Wave exclaimed, amazed at the large structures and new things.

"It looks so strange," Charmandra replied, "How will we ever find the Draconis or the others?"

"I don't know. Hey, what's this?" Wave asked, pointing at a small metal and plastic object with a few lights on it that was near the portal. The object was actually several instruments, including a camera and other monitors that had been placed by Opal when Exaccus had sent her with group C.

Back at Exaccus headquarters, everyone was busy preparing to leave for Obsidian by the afternoon. Eridel and Opal both helped pack the equipment into the teleporter throughout the morning, but Opal was interrupted by an alert on her computer.

Eridel placed the last of the current load into the portal, and turning to Opal, asked, "So, what is the alert about? Is it new orders?"

"No, it's nothing like that," answered Opal, "Actually it is something even more exciting."

"Really? What is it then?"

"The monitoring equipment near the portal has picked up some new arrivals. Here, look at this."

Opal showed Eridel the footage from the camera, and it showed two pokemon. One was another Charmander, with slightly different coloring than Draconis. The other was another type that Eridel had not seen before, that looked to be amphibious with its fins and gills on its cheeks.

"Well, it looks like we have another Charmander and…," Opal checked the database, "a Mudkip. They also seemed to be talking, so I'll try the translator."

The translator revealed what the two had said, and it was apparent they were looking for Draconis.

"Hmm, perhaps we could go get these new arrivals," Opal suggested, "It wouldn't take long, and we could just reconfigure the portal to the previous coordinates, and then continue loading the equipment when we get back."

"Okay," Eridel replied, and then teleported the supplies, so that they could reconfigure the teleporter. After just a few recalibrations, it was set to the coordinates from a few days ago, and both Eridel and Opal warped to the courtyard of the portal.

Wave and Charmandra stared at the humans that had just appeared out of nowhere. The tall humans seemed strange and a little frightening to the two.

"Humans!" gasped Charmandra, "Maybe they can help us, but are they friendly?"

"Well, Ben was a human before he was a pokemon, so maybe they are nice like him," Wave replied.

"I guess we will have to see," Charmandra finished.

Eridel and Opal approached Wave and Charmandra, trying to appear peaceful. Opal got out her computer with the translator, and now could talk with the pokemon.

"Greetings, I'm Opal, and we're here to help you," she began. At first, the pokemon did not understand the words, but the computer reformed them into something they could.

"I'm Charmandra. We are looking for others who came through the portal like us, do you know where they are?" Charmandra responded.

"I'm Wave, nice to meet you," Wave added quickly.

"Nice to meet you both, and I believe we can help you find someone you are looking for," Opal answered, "but you will have to come with us."

Both Wave's and Charmandra's heart raced at the thought of seeing the ones they were looking for, and so they both eagerly went up to Opal and Eridel. Eridel activated the teleporter's recall power, and the four were at the base once again.

"I'm going to take these two down to the habitat," Opal told Eridel as they got back.

"We still have a lot to pack, so don't be gone too long," Eridel said, as he changed the portal back to the coordinates where the supplies were going. Opal left with the pokemon, and when she was gone, Eridel mumbled to himself, "Looks like I'm stuck with the work again, while she's off with animals, like always."

Down at the enclosed habitat that Draconis and Absol were in, the door opened and they turned to see who it was. Opal stood there like usual, but Draconis rubbed his eyes in disbelief as he saw Charmandra there with her. The two ran up to each other, embracing as they met.

"I was so worried about you!" Charmandra greeted, teary-eyed. "I didn't know if you would be alright, but it looks like you are now. Don't ever let something like that happen again."

"I missed you as well, and thought of you while I was recovering," Draconis replied.

"I didn't know you had a lover, Draconis," Absol teased.

Wave was a little disappointed, since she had not found who she was looking for, while Charmandra had. She turned to Opal and asked, "Are these the only two besides us you have found so far?"

"Yes," Opal responded, "But we are going to look for the others when we can."

Opal went and got the pokemon some food while they conversed over what happened. After they ate, she told them to come with her, since she and Eridel would have to go to Obsidian soon. On her way back to the teleporter, she took them for one last round of bioscans. As the scan finished she looked over the data.

Charmandra's data showed her to be around the same age as Draconis. The scan showed that she was a female, which Opal had only guessed was true until then. The data showed her body was also preparing for a change, much like the scans of Draconis also showed.

Wave's scan showed that she was female, and revealed that her body was also preparing for a change as well. Other than that, it showed the usual data on weight and other statistics.

"I wonder what change each of their bodies is preparing for," thought Opal, "All of them but the Absol show similar data."

Opal pondered the data as she led them to the teleporter. Once there Eridel looked a little angry at her for taking so long, but all the supplies were gone.

"You took forever, so I finished loading the materials myself," Eridel greeted, his annoyance showing in his tone.

"Thanks. You don't have to be upset, I was just doing my job," Opal replied.

It was nearing time for most of Exaccus to move to Obsidian, so Eridel, Opal, and the pokemon teleported to the base that Exaccus had set up in Obsidian. Upon arriving, they seemed to be in a large series of laboratories. The walls were a bright white color, and equipment was set up all around. In the center of the laboratory was Marcus, who was overseeing some scientists that were finishing a large device.

The device itself was made up of metal rods that led from the ceiling and floor to two circular disks. On the outside of the lower disk were many buttons and data screens, which showed the numbers and data on the machine. On the inside of the lower disk was three more rods that led to a small metal circle in the center. This circle had an indentation that held the fire emblem Marcus had spoken of earlier. On the inside of the upper disk were several lasers that were all pointed downwards at the fire emblem. Above the device was a round hole about a foot in diameter that led upwards.

Marcus walked up, and said, "Now that you're here, I have new orders for you. Eridel. You are to try to locate the person from your report named Ben and those with him. Opal, your translation program was ingenious, so I had it copied onto all of our handheld computers, and you are to use the data from the scans to try to understand the pokemon better. Also, I have a lead you may want to follow. At our Southern checkpoint, our guards reported seeing several creatures in the back of a truck as it was approaching. It was one of the last trucks to enter the city, and belongs to Reko, a gem-cutter from Garnet. When it got to the checkpoint, the creatures in the back were gone, and several people were in the back instead. Of those in the back, only one had a name that fit anything in the records, a young man named Ben. We've located the temporary residence given to his family, so the address will be on your assignment on the computer."

"I wasn't expecting to work on that for a while, but it doesn't sound too hard," Eridel replied, "We will begin work on it, sir. By the way, where are we?"

"This is one of our bases that we have around the world," Marcus answered, "This one is under Obsidian University, and we have access to anything from the school. Now, we are ready to initiate the portal, so why don't you stay and watch?"

The scientists finished setting the device up, and now activated it. A low humming noise reverberated throughout the air as it powered up. From the upper disk the lasers shot down into the crystal of the fire emblem, changing and amplifying as they went through it. Next, a large white beam shot upwards through the hole in the ceiling, and the screens showed it go into a large spherical device that was at the end of the hole in the ceiling. From the device, the beam changed into a clear barrier that formed a dome that spread outwards to the edge of the city of Obsidian.

"The barrier is holding steady, we will now increase the power," one of the scientists reported.

The power was increased, and as it was, the barrier changed and became thicker. It now distorted everything seen through it, allowing only blurs of color to be seen through it.

"Good work, and make sure it continues to work smoothly," Marcus complimented the scientists, "Looks like we got it up just in time. Nerezzik's forces are only a few miles from Obsidian as of now."

Opal and Eridel both left after the display to fulfill their orders. Opal got permission from Marcus to use one of the labs, and so she took Draconis, Charmandra, Wave, and Absol there. From the supplies, she got them bedding to sleep on and other amenities, and also set up computers and equipment to work on studying pokemon biology. This took most of the day, and it was early evening by the time she finished.

Meanwhile, Eridel had followed the leads that Marcus had gave him. He went up the elevators from the underground base, which required Exaccus security clearance to activate. He walked outside of the building the elevator led up to, and looked at the map of the city on his handheld computer. He was at Obsidian University, and its many buildings, made of smooth black stone were around him. Classes still were in session, and so several students walked down the grey sidewalks and paths that led through the trees, buildings, and grassy lawns of the university. Next to the university was the large silver buildings of the government, with their tall columns. Surrounding these two buildings were large silver and black multi-story office buildings, with the lower parts containing shops that either contained the fine goods for government officials, or tried to sell food, supplies, or other things to the university students.

Eridel looked at the briefing for his mission on his handheld computer, and it showed three locations for him to go to. The first was a parking garage, where Exaccus had provided him with a large van that he was to use to bring Ben and any pokemon he found with him back to the underground base. The second location was the temporary residence given to Reko, the man who had brought Ben from Garnet. It was in one of the nearby office buildings, which had been partially cleared out for refugees to stay in. The final location was the temporary residence of Ben's family. They were given a spot in one of the hotels, since the early refugees had been assigned to places better meant for people to stay at. There was not enough room in the hotels, so later refugees were given much more basic places that had to be cleared out for them to stay at.

Eridel found the van in the lower level of the parking garage, which only had front windows. It was a white color and looked like many of the other vans that would transport things around town, except it had no company logo on it.

Eridel would have preferred to drive something else, but he turned it on and headed to the second location. The roads were mostly clear of traffic, since all unnecessary road travel was being discouraged by the government. In the current crisis, the main government could only guide and help calm the people, while Exaccus secretly worked out a solution. As he thought of how little power the official government had over the current situation, Eridel drove away from the cement and dim yellow lights of the parking garage, and out onto the streets. After driving past a few blocks of large black and silver buildings, Eridel arrived at the second location.

It was a large and silver office building, but half of the floors had been emptied to make room for refugees. Eridel walked in through the revolving door, and made his way to the desk with the receptionist in the center of the tiled lobby. An older woman with long brown hair, the receptionist now had to work with the company and the refugees living in the building. She was being paid by the government for her extra work, but she now had new duties and longer hours. She greeted Eridel, and asked what he wanted.

"I'm here to see a man named Reko who just arrived today, preferably somewhere where I can speak to him without being overheard," Eridel told the receptionist.

"Okay, our meeting rooms should be fine for that," the receptionist replied, "They are on the top floor, room 2150. It should be right near the elevator. I'll send a message to Reko to meet you there."

"Okay, thank you," Eridel said as he headed to the meeting room.

Eridel went up the elevator, and stepped off into the hallway. The carpets and walls on this floor were a light blue color, and he quickly found the meeting room. From the meeting room, a large window looked out towards the capitol, and above the city Eridel could see the shimmering barrier that now shielded it. As Reko entered, Eridel turned from standing at the window to see the man.

"You may sit," suggested Eridel, and the man rested his old and portly self down into one of the metallic chairs around the wooden conference table. Eridel took a chair across from the man and got out his handheld computer to record the conversation.

"I'm Reko, a gem artisan from Garnet," greeted Reko, "From your uniform I'm guessing your with the government somehow."

"In a way, I am with the government," Eridel answered, "Now I have a few questions for you, since you were one of the last refugees to arrive."

"Okay, I'll answer as best I can," Reko cordially stated.

"Good, now why did you leave so late from Garnet?"

"I had to pack up my art. Each gem I cut becomes a masterpiece that I didn't want to lose."

"Did you see any of the creatures that have been attacking the cities?"

"You mean the pokemon? There was a large group that was right behind me as I left the city, and they seemed to be coming here."

Reko was getting nervous after letting slip that he had learned what the creatures were called. He decided that he would be better off telling the truth if the man asked the right questions.

Eridel continued his questioning, noting the interesting response to the last question. "Have you met any others of these pokemon, perhaps a small group traveling with a young man?"

"Yes, I have. They helped me packed up my gems, and so I brought them with me."

"How did you get them through the checkpoint, then?"

"I'm not sure how they did it, but as we went through the checkpoint, they all somehow took on the appearance of humans. They all went with the one named Ben, but I'm not sure were they went in the city."

"Well, that's it for my questions. Don't worry, you are not in any trouble, and may be rewarded for being open with us. We'll take care of everything, and soon you might be able to go back to your home and store in Garnet. You may go now."

Reko left as Eridel reviewed the information he had just gathered. Eridel now had only the third location left to help find Ben and the pokemon that were with him. He once again drove in the van, and the blurred colors of the sunset could be seen, distorted by the shield around the city. He drove to a hotel several miles from the city center that was the third location. He entered the black building, and inside he walked through the lobby with its red carpets and gold-colored walls. He headed silently through the hallways that had the same color scheme as the lobby to the room number on the report, and knocked loudly on the door. After a short while, the locks were undone and the door slowly opened.


	27. Chapter 26: The Shielded City, Part 2

Chapter 26: The Shielded City, Part 2: Two Places and Two Faces

As we approached the small checkpoint that blocked the road, I became increasingly nervous. Latias looked like a perfectly normal girl again, which gave me an idea.

"Hey, Latias, do you think you could disguise the others in psychic illusions, like you can with yourself?" I inquired, hoping that she could.

"Hmm, it may be a little draining on me if it is to be maintained for a long time, but I could try," was her cheerful response.

Latias focused and the illusion of a human covered each pokemon's appearance. Lucario became a lean man with long black hair. Ninetales became an old man with a long white hair and a long white beard. Charmander changed to look like a strong young man with orange hair, who looked to be around my age. Each disguise was working perfectly, and we pulled up to the checkpoint.

The guards stopped the truck, asked a few questions of Reko, and then handed him a paper. They then came to the back of the truck, and started to question us.

"State your names," began one of the guards.

"Well, I am Ben, and my family should already be here," I answered.

"What about the rest of them?" the guard asked.

I had to quickly make up some names and stories for the pokemon, and told the guard that they would all be staying with me and my family. The guard seemed satisfied, and he pulled out a handheld computer. He looked up where my family had been assigned to stay in the city, and gave me the address and room number for one of the hotels.

The guard motioned us through, and we were now in the city of Obsidian. I checked with Reko to see where he was headed, but it was far away from the hotel, so we parted ways upon reaching a street nearby the hotel. As we walked down the grey sidewalks between the black and silver buildings, several notices could be seen posted. The notices were government suggestions on what times to be off the streets, where to go for food for refugees, and the most striking of them all was a notice that the government had developed a protective technology that would save the city.

We walked along, passing by the many other pedestrians. Many seemed to have careworn faces. Latias seemed to be tiring the more time the illusion was maintained, so we hurried along to the hotel.

"The people here are full of fear, sorrow, and confusion," Latias observed as we reached the hotel.

The hotel had a friendly and fancy looking interior with a red and gold color pattern. I told the receptionist at the front desk the room number the guard had told me, and she confirmed that it was where my family was staying. We headed down the hallway to the room, and I knocked on the door.

My heart raced as I waited for someone to answer, and my mother opened the door. A bit shorter than myself, my mother had long, dark blue hair, and had a medium build. Tears formed in her eyes as she hugged me, and greeted me with a friendly scolding of, "Where have you been? We've been so worried about you."

"I'll tell you what happened to me, and even then you might not believe my story until I show you something," I replied.

"I'm so glad that you're back," she replied. Facing back into the hotel room, she yelled, "Ben is back!" Seeing the others with me, she grew curious and asked, "Who are these people you've brought with you? Why don't you all come in, you must be tired from your travels."

We filed into the small hotel room, and I could see it would be a tight fit for all of us. My three younger brothers, each with similar blonde hair to myself, greeted me with joy. My father, with his brown hair and thin build, sat, looking happy but stern at the same time. I also had an older brother, but he was at a university in a city that was, thankfully, far away from Obsidian, Garnet, and Origin City. We sat down on some of the burgundy-colored wood chairs in the room. In the room were also two large beds with red covers, and a red cot. Completing the hotel room were the typical small bathroom, closet, and television.

"Another disappearance," muttered my father, "Was this like the last time, where you could not remember what happened?"

"No, I can explain everything, but it will take quite a while," I replied. "You see what happened was…"

I continued on with telling the story of my first visit to the world of Geonne, where the pokemon lived, and then moved on to telling about my second journey up to the point I had arrived at the hotel room. I left out some of the later facts, such as that the people with me were actually pokemon in disguise, waiting to surprise my family later. As I finished I knew there would be a lot of questions.

"If you traveled so long with these pokemon, then where are they now?" asked my younger brother.

"Things may not be as they seem," I answered cryptically. "Latias, you may end the illusion now, and I thank you for holding it for so long."

Latias ended the psychic illusion with a sigh of relief. For some time, my family could only stare in disbelief at my companions. Lucario tried to ease the situation and greeted in his old human speech, "A pleasure to meet ye, I am Lucario."

I still couldn't help laughing silently to myself whenever I heard Lucario talk like that, but the greeting seemed to break the silence.

"Cool! They can talk!" exclaimed my youngest brother. "Can I touch them?"

"Maybe later, but there is one more thing I must show you," I answered, as I transformed into a Mudkip and then back again.

"Amazing!" outburst my mother. "To think that you can do all this, it is truly incredible."

"Yes, I'm still learning new things about being a Mudkip, which is the pokemon that I can transform into," I explained. I turned to the others, and asked, "You wouldn't mind if my younger brothers touched you, would you?"

"Just make sure they don't pull my tails, or they will be cursed," Ninetales replied.

"Just make sure they are polite about it," Lucario added.

"I've been among humans my entire life, so I won't mind," Latias stated.

Charmander remained strangely silent, but nodded in consent. I explained who each of the pokemon were except Lucario, who could speak for himself. My brothers shook Lucario's hand, patted Ninetales' and Charmander's heads, and petted the soft fur of Latias. Only Latias really enjoyed the attention, and the others just seemed to endure it.

Suddenly there came a loud knock on the door, and Latias resumed the illusion from before. I opened the door, and standing there was a man with red hair who wore some kind of blue uniform.

"I take it that you must be Ben," he greeted. "I'm Eridel, and I've been sent to ask you a few things. Now, do the names Draconis, Absol, Charmandra, or Wave seem familiar to you?"

"How do you know such names?" I demanded.

"Let's just say that my organization managed to pick up a few stragglers that came through the portal later."

"What organization is this, and how could you have met Draconis? He's been with me the entire time."

"That's odd, I thought he was with us the entire time. The one named Absol brought him through the portal, nearly dead, but we were able to heal him. As to my organization, I'll only be allowed to tell you if you come with me and bring any other pokemon that you have with you."

"Something is strange. Your description of Draconis sounds more like how he was when I last saw him, and I did send Absol to help him. Why don't you come in Eridel? Then we can solve the reason why Draconis seems to be in two places."

We both entered the hotel room, and Eridel looked at the disguised pokemon with interest. "So, you four must be the pokemon that Ben has been traveling with," he stated. "None of your names matched any in the records, so we've been watching you. You should just drop this illusion now."

Latias looked to me with a questioning look. I nodded a "yes", and so she ended the illusion. Eridel studied the pokemon for a little while, and then he pulled out a handheld computer. "So, how is it that you're in two places, Draconis?" he asked, and then the computer translated the speech.

Draconis seemed completely unlike himself now. He gave a mean and annoyed look at Eridel and me, and then something completely unexpected happened. Draconis suddenly disappeared in a small flash of light.

"I had a strange feeling it wasn't the usual Draconis," I stated. "Ever since I've returned to this world, he wasn't really acting like himself. He also could never teleport like that, so something is very wrong."

"We must try to find whatever it actually is," requested Eridel. "You and the others should come with me. If you do, I can tell you what organization I work for, and then we might be able to work together to defeat Nerezzik."

"Alone we haven't been able to do much, so I think we'll come along," I responded.

Just then Eridel's handheld computer started beeping and so he checked what the alert was. "We should move quickly, there is an emergency at the base," Eridel explained.

Just then the shimmering light of the shield could be seen fading. Slowly the last of the sunset became clearer as the barrier constantly decreased in strength. "This isn't good, I think you, the pokemon, and your family should come with me," Eridel suggested. "With the shield fading, I don't think anyone will be safe much longer."

We ran outside of the hotel, and Eridel had us all get in a large white van. Just as we started driving away, some warning sirens came on, and people started pouring out of the buildings a short while later. Eridel drove at top speeds through the streets, trying to get to wherever we were going before the people started crowding the streets. After a short time, we ended up at Obsidian University, which was where the van stopped.

"Quickly, follow me!" commanded Eridel, who started running across the lawns of the campus. We all followed him, and soon we entered one of the many buildings on campus. Eridel unlocked a door with a security card, and inside was an elevator. We all piled into the large elevator, and then it shot downwards into the ground.

The elevator doors opened up, revealing a series of labs. We entered the central one, but it was completely destroyed. Shattered glass lay spread across the floor, broken computers were strewn everywhere, and boxes of supplies lay smashed open. I told my family to wait at the entrance, and Eridel, Ninetales, Lucario, Latias, and I all helped clear a path to the center of the room. In the center, the ruins of a machine sat buzzing with electrical charges. Several people lay on the ground near the center, all of them dead if the blood on the ground was any indication.

"Eridel, come here," came a faint reply from an older man. The man sat with a large bleeding gash on his forhead, and several other wounds.

"Marcus!" Eridel exclaimed, "What happened?"

"I don't think I'll last much longer," Marcus whispered weakly. "A strange pink pokemon with a long tail attacked us. The attack was unexpected, so I had no time to get the phasic armor that would have helped protect me. This pokemon is known as Mew, and its powers seem to be just as great as the one called Mewtwo that we created. It destroyed the shield generator, but I did manage to save the most important piece. Take it Eridel, for opening the portal seems to be our only hope now. Y-you, and, and y-your sister m-must lead Exaccus f-for now."

With the end of that statement, Marcus held out the fire emblem. As Eridel took it from him, Marcus breathed his last. "No, how could this happen!" shouted Eridel.

"Help get us out of here!" came the voice of Opal. Several large crates had been thrown in front of the door to her lab, so that it could not be opened. Eridel tried moving the heavy crates, but could not move them.

"Let me aid thee," Lucario said as he started tossing the crates aside. Soon the crates were cleared, and Opal, Absol, Draconis, Charmandra, and Wave were freed. Behind us some of the machinery then burst into flame, so I transformed into a Mudkip. Wave and I used our water gun attacks to douse the flames, and we had a brief moment to greet each other.

"Wave!" I greeted. "Nice to see you again, but how did you and Charmandra get here?"

"I was worried about you," she replied as she rubbed the gills on her cheek against mine in a friendly greeting.

"Well, it's been a while since I saw you. I'm glad to see you are alright," Draconis greeted.

"I thought you were with me the whole time, but it actually was Mew, controlled by Nerezzik. I'm glad to have the real you back now," I responded.

"I see you have more secrets than you revealed earlier," Eridel stated. "We should get going, there will be time to mourn the dead later. Without the energy source to the shield, it will be gone very soon. We should get everyone away from here." Eridel turned to Opal and asked: "Do you think we should take people to the headquarters? With the teleporters we could move people out of the city quickly."

Opal had seen Marcus and the others strewn across the ground, and was occupied, trying to see if they still had signs of life. She finished her check, and with sorrow in her voice stated: "I can do nothing for them, but we should help as many as we can."

"We'll need to rally Exaccus forces and hold off Nerezzik while the people are moved," Eridel commanded. "I'll go send out the messages to Exaccus members, get our battle equipment ready, and take charge of the defense. We'll use the teleporter recall function for any who fall in battle to prevent most losses on our side. Opal, you take command of teleporting the citizens to headquarters."

"What should we do? We want to help," I told Eridel after hearing his plans.

"If you want, I could give each of you one of the beacons that will transport you back to our headquarters. That way if you run into trouble in the battle, you can use it to save yourselves."

"Okay, we'll prepare for battle," I replied. I returned to my family and told them what was going to happen, changing back into a human so that I could speak with them. They were the first civilians to be teleported to Exaccus headquarters when they left with Opal. Opal returned and we all headed above to the university campus.

At the center of the campus, Opal had an area set up for the people to wait to be teleported. She sent the message to the emergency broadcasts about the meeting location. Meanwhile, Eridel had gathered more members of Exaccus, who all now knew about the events of the day. They each had the phasic armor, its unique plating in the color of preference for each soldier. They all wielded the photon swords, and seemed ready to defend the city. We joined them as they headed towards the Southern part of the city. As twilight descended, the shield seemed almost invisible. It flickered for one last time before vanishing completely. Nerezzik and his forces moved forward as the shield vanished. I could see Mew floating in the air next to him now.

As night was coming, our force consisted of Eridel, Lucario, Ninetales, Draconis, Charmandra, Wave, myself, and around 50 other swordsmen from Exaccus. Against Nerezzik's forces of over 100 pokemon, it would be a tough battle. Both our forces moved to attack, and soon the battle began.


	28. Chapter 27: Nightfall

Chapter 27: Nightfall

The two groups clashed as they met. The humans on one side, the pokemon of the other. At the front of the battle a charging Rhydon skewered one of the swordsmen with its large horn after taking a glancing hit from his sword. The man was teleported away after receiving such an injury, but he probably would not make it.

"Keep your guard up!" Eridel commanded. "Not all injuries can be healed!"

The battle continued and formed into the line of humans facing the line of pokemon on the city street. Lucario, Ninetales, Draconis, Charmandra, Wave, Eridel, and I all were in the back of the group, ready to take the place of any soldiers who fell in battle. If we could get a clear shot, we would launch an attack through, but mostly we could just watch the intense fighting.

Nerezzik and his strongest allies stood at the back of his army, also watching the battle unfold. On one side a group of swordsmen defeated an Ampharos, a Camerupt, and a Grumpig after resisting their special attacks. A Scizor quickly flew in to fill the gap, and quickly had scored several slashes on the swordsmen. The swordsmen, each now with several bleeding wounds, were warped away. On another part of the line, the swordsmen were having trouble fighting against some of the quicker pokemon. A Crobat, Skarmory, and Ninjask all avoided the swords with finesse. They then would score occasional hits with attacks such as wing attack. These swordsmen quickly were exhausted, and then defeated.

Nerezzik had quickly caught on to the facts about the phasic armor. After a short time of seeing attacks of energy such as fire, electric, and especially psychic do little harm, Nerezzik had ordered his forces to use physical attacks. After this switch in strategy, the swordsmen against him slowly lost numbers, and managed to defeat even less of his forces than before.

With our numbers quickly dropping, we were forced to help hold the line. Eridel took a spot in the center of the fighting looking confidant and ready. A Hitmonchan stepped up to try to attack him, unleashing a flurry of punches. Eridel was hit by the first few and was pushed back a little, but he sidestepped the last one and brought his glowing photon sword down on the opponent. It dropped to the ground, and Eridel prepared for the next opponent.

I rushed in to help some of the soldiers against a Metagross. My opening mud-shot attack distracted it enough for the swordsmen to get in a few hits and defeat it. The Rhydon from earlier, now with red on the tip of its horn, was still pushing back the line of swordsmen. I hit it from the side with a hydro pump, which defeated the rock and ground pokemon easily. I pushed back the enemies, but as I did a Sceptile appeared to my side and began rushing towards me with its leaf blade attack. The attack was almost to hit when it was tackled by Wave. I finished it with another tackle and Wave came to fight at my side.

"I'll always watch out for you," she stated as she joined the battle.

"And I for you," I replied as I took out another opponent.

Draconis and Charmandra both went to help against some of the bug pokemon that were causing paralysis, sleep, or poison to the soldiers. A Dustox and Butterfree flew in the air spreading their stun spore attacks, but two flamethrowers caused both to fall to the ground. Nearby an Aggron charged forward, throwing one of the soldiers in the building on the side of the road. Draconis rushed forward to attack, but his fire spin didn't seem to be enough to defeat the Aggron by itself.

"If we unite our flames, we will be able to overcome him," Charmandra suggested as she added her own fire spin. Together the two attacks combined, creating a pillar of flame brighter and stronger than before. The Aggron was defeated, and fell to the ground as the attacks subsided.

"Thank you Charmandra," Draconis complimented. "Let's fight as one from now on."

"I'll never leave your side willingly," Charmandra replied as she took up position beside Draconis.

Ninetales helped provided support for some of the soldiers, using his confuse ray and will-o-wisp to weaken the enemies. Several opponents fell as Ninetales and the soldiers worked together, but an Exploud managed to defeat the soldiers, leaving only Ninetales. Ninetales used his fire blast to defeat the Exploud, and then moved forward to fight others.

Lucario went to help against the quick pokemon that would avoid the swordsmen's attacks. Using extreme speed and shadow ball, Lucario defeated the Crobat and Ninjask, leaving only the Skarmory. The Skarmory rushed forward with a steel wing attack, but Lucario jumped right above the attack, twisting into a powerful kick that sent the Skarmory crashing to the ground.

The battle continued, and both sides were slowly reduced in number. Nerezzik's larger force was reduced until it was only himself, Regirock, Regice, Registeel, Deoxys, and two new pokemon that he had found more recently. One of them looked like Latias, but was slightly larger and blue colored. Suddenly, it rushed forward at us with incredible speed. As it got nearer, it was suddenly stopped when a red blur flew forward at it. The two collided, and as they stopped, we could see that Latias had joined the battle now.

"Latios, please stop!" Latias cried. Latios ignored her plea and unleashed a dragon breath attack. The attack hit Latias, who then countered with a dragon breath of her own. Each attack on Latios seemed to pain Latias, but she fought him with all her strength. Nerezzik and the rest of his allies moved towards Latias and Latios, but we moved to intercept them.

Our group was tired after the long battle, but we would try to fight our opponents as best we could. Eridel noticed the other new pokemon that had a long purple tail and was with Nerezzik and called out to him.

"Mewtwo, why have you joined with these pokemon?" Eridel asked.

"You must be one of those who made me," Mewtwo answered. "Those who made me cared nothing for me, and so I have joined Nerezzik, who also was made by humans."

"It isn't like that at all Mewtwo! We did care for you!" said Eridel, trying to persuade Mewtwo.

"I just remember the tests and experiments, so I do not trust you!" Mewtwo replied.

Eridel looked a bit frustrated, and said to himself, "If only my sister was here. She could make him understand, since she spent more time than anyone else caring for him."

After this brief pause of Eridel talking with Mewtwo, we began to fight. Wave and I would take on Regirock first. Draconis and Charmandra would take on Registeel. Ninetales would take out Regice, and Lucario would fight Deoxys. Eridel would take on Mewtwo and Mew, but that left Nerezzik free to attack any of us.

We moved to face Regirock. After the long battle, I felt weak and slow, but I would keep fighting. Wave also looked fatigued, and I knew we would have a tough battle ahead of us. We both started off with our water guns, but after battling all day, the attacks lacked their usual power. Regirock weakened slightly, but retaliated with Ancientpower. Several rocks flew up and hit both Wave and me, and Regirock seemed to shine with more strength after the attack. We tried more of our water and mud attacks, but Regirock just kept on coming. Regirock used lock-on and then the white energy of its hyper beam began to charge up. As it unleashed the attack, I jumped in front of Wave and used protect. Afterwards I lay gasping for air on the ground after using up most of my energy for the protect.

"No, I'll protect you!" Wave shouted, and as she pushed herself to the limits of her endurance, she began to glow white.

Suddenly, Wave became a Marshtomp, and had a new sense of strength. She launched another water gun at Regirock, and this time it seemed to cause some damage to the large rock pokemon. Regirock still had most of its strength and used rock throw on Wave. The rock landed right on her, pinning her to the ground as Regirock used another lock-on.

"Wave, watch out!" I yelled as I pushed myself to get up, my body and lungs burning from the effort. Suddenly, I felt a strange energy inside of me, and found myself taller and stronger. Looking down, it was obvious that I was now a Marshtomp as well, and I used a mud-shot on Regirock. Regirock now was at its limit, and used another rock throw. I tried to avoid the attack, but it hit the ground and rolled over my legs as it knocked me down. Regirock prepared for another attack to finish off both me and Wave, but we still had the recall beacons, so right before getting hit by another hyper beam I activated it, and we both were teleported away.

Draconis and Charmandra faced a similar situation. Exhausted by the battle, they could only try their hardest against Registeel. They used some flamethrower and fire spin attacks, but Registeel kept coming. Draconis and Charmandra kept pushing themselves, and as they were both about to collapse. When they ran out of energy, a new power came from within them. They suddenly became Charmeleons, but the time this change took allowed Registeel to move in range. It swung its large metal arms out, hitting both Draconis and Charmandra. Charmandra was knocked out, and Draconis was left barely conscious. He shot one last flamethower at Registeel before activating the beacon that Eridel had given them. The street that had been the battlefield faded away as they warped back to Exaccus headquarters.

Ninetales faced off against Regice, but it was a difficult battle. His attacks burned and confused the crystalline ice pokemon, but it had incredible stamina. After recovering from the most recent confuse ray, it used lock-on on Ninetales. Ninetales tried to counter with a confuse ray, but as he was preparing the attack, the Regice shot out a zap cannon attack. The electricity ran through Ninetales, making movement impossible. The Regice then followed up with a hyper beam, blastint Ninetales backwards. The earlier battles had drained too much of Ninetales strength, and as he was knocked out, the beacon activated and he was also teleported away from defeat.

Latias and Latios had continued their aerial brawl. Both were scratched and burned from each others claws and from the dragonbreath attacks. Latios charged up and unleashed a luster purge, weakening Latias. She countered with another dragon breath, but Latios was prepared and took the attack with little damage. Latios followed up with a psychic attack, and Latias fell to the ground in exhaustion and defeat.

"Why must we fight?" she mournfully stated as she lay on the ground. "I can tell that your heart is pained by attacking me, but some darkness in your mind keeps pushing you to do things you don't want. I will keep trying until I free you, Latios, but for now I have to go."

With that final statement, Latias used the beacon and warped away from the battlefield and the pained hearts of all those controlled by Nerezzik.

Eridel moved to face Mewtwo and Mew, but it seemed that none of them could do any damage when the battle first began. Eridel's armor gave him immunity to Mewtwo's and Mew's psychic attacks, but Mewtwo or Mew would just float quickly backwards and avoid the attacks of his swords. Eridel tried using a running attack and managed to score a hit on Mewtwo's side. A small stream of blood flowed down onto Mewtwo's leg. Mewtwo, infuriated by his injury, began using his psychic powers to tear pieces out of the road and buildings and throw them at Eridel. Eridel managed to slice a few with his sword and dodge others, but the floating chunks of concrete came at him from all sides. He was knocked down and pinned down under a pile of debris, with only his head uncovered. Mewtwo came up and wrapped the end of his tail around Eridel's neck, and Mew floated beside him, watching Eridel.

"Humans like you are unfit to live. I shall kill you all," Mewtwo replied as he healed the injury from Eridel's sword with his psychic powers. Mewtwo's tail squeezed tighter and began to choke Eridel. Right before he passed out, Eridel's recall beacon activated, saving him from death. Mewtwo was enraged by this, and thought to himself, "I'll have to take care of those teleporters next."

Now only Lucario was left. After the long battle, he could only try his best to battle against Deoxys. The two traded blows, slowly weakening one another as some of their attacks managed to hit. Nerezzik decided to join in the battle, so Lucario was now in even more danger. He jumped, rolled, and sidestepped attack after attack, unable to gain the opening for an attack of his own. Suddenly, a psychic blast hit him from behind, and then both Nerezzik's dark attack and Deoxys' own psychic blast hit Lucario. Lucario was blasted backwards into the black side of a building, which cracked as his head hit it. Blood now streamed down his face and onto the ground. Lucario could see nothing clearly, and it all became an indistinct blur. He could not win against so many powerful opponents, so Lucario knew it was time to retreat. Activating the recall beacon, he felt strange as he was warped to Exaccus headquarters.

On the street, Nerezzik was left with a furious Mewtwo, three nearly defeated Regis, an injured Latios, and Mew. Nerezzik decided to have Mew and Mewtwo go forward and destroy the city and any people in it without him. Meanwhile, he would stay and make sure his army was restored to its fighting power by the next day.

After a few hours, Nerezzik sat sleepily in the street, leaning against the wall of the building. As he was about to doze off, Mewtwo and Mew floated up the street.

"Back already?" Nerezzik asked Mewtwo.

"Yes, the humans used their teleporters to move nearly everyone out of the city, so there wasn't much to do," Mewtwo replied. "I do know where the teleporters are located, so we will go destroy those next."

"An excellent plan, but for now, we'll be getting some rest before we move out. Once we destroy the teleporters, the humans won't be able to escape."


	29. Chp 28: Carrying the Light of Tomorrow

Chapter 28: Carrying the Light of Tomorrow

All the people had been teleported out of Obsidian, and now Opal and Absol were ready at Exaccus headquarters as the injured soldiers started being recalled by their beacons. Opal gasped as the first one, a soldier with a large hole in his chest warped back and fell to the floor, dead. Some other Exaccus members took the body away and more soldiers started coming back.

Several swordsmen with large slashes on their arms and faces came back, and Opal cleaned and stitched up the wounds. After that there was a steady stream of defeated soldiers in varying conditions. Opal would choose the worst cases to help, leaving the others to be treated by other Exaccus doctors. Soon, almost all the soldiers had come back, defeated and injured. Only a few were dead, but most would not be able to fight again for at least a few days, if not a few weeks.

Opal now waited at the portal for her brother and the others to return. Ninetales was the first to return, and Opal took him to the medical room that had been used for Draconis earlier. Opal ran the scans, and to her relief they just showed minor injuries that would heal with a little rest.

Back at the teleporter, Wave and I arrived, bruised from Regirock's attacks. We had avoided any major injuries by using the recall beacon.

"Thanks for saving me," Wave began.

"Well, I always do my best to help those I care about," I replied. "We both seem to be Marshtomps now as well. Standing on two legs seems a bit more natural to me."

I looked at Wave, to see how she had changed. As a Marshtomp, she stood on two legs. The fins on her tail and head had changed to a dark blue, and her belly now was also the same cream color as her cheek gills. The rest of her skin was a light blue. I looked similar except my skin was a darker blue and my cheek gills and belly were orange.

"Before long we might both be Swamperts, especially if we keep having intense battles," she said, noticing my observations of her.

Draconis and Charmandra warped through the portal, interrupting our conversation. They were Charmeleons now. They were larger than before, with larger claws and a larger flame on their tales. They also were now red, but Charmandra still had that slightly pink hue to her scales and Draconis still had his scars.

"We tried our best, but after facing so many opponents, we were not able to win," Draconis stated.

"If we could just face them one on one, I'm sure we would have a much better chance," I reassured Draconis. "We must keep trying. We were getting close to victory that time."

"I do feel stronger now, but I feel so tired after that battle," Draconis replied.

Opal returned and greeted us. After explaining a little bit about evolving to her, she seemed excited and took us to rest in the medical room with Ninetales after a few brief scans to make sure we had no serious injuries.

Upon returning to the portal, Latias sat looking mournful on the floor of the teleporter. She had a few burns and several bleeding scratches, so Opal took her to the medical room with the rest of us. She applied some medicines and bandages, and Latias seemed relieved but also seemed to have something troubling her inside.

"What is wrong? Perhaps I can help," Opal expressed, trying to help Latias.

"Oh, it's nothing you can help," Latias replied as she looked down at the floor with tears in her eyes. "It's just that I had to fight my brother, who is under the control of Nerezzik."

"Just try not to think about it and get some rest," Opal suggested.

Latias closed her eyes and was falling asleep when Opal left once more as she was alerted to the portal activating. She hurried down the hall, hoping that her brother had returned and was safe. As she got to the portal, Eridel stood with some bruises. He was gasping for air, as if he had just been running. Opal got closer and noticed a few bruises around his neck.

"What happened? Did something try to choke you?" she inquired.

"It was Mewtwo, he was going to choke me, but I escaped," Eridel answered. "He's joined with Nerezzik, and I couldn't persuade him to stop."

"Mewtwo," Opal muttered as she remembered some of the work she had done during her early years in Exaccus. Several years earlier, Opal had been one of the lower members of Exaccus, but had managed to get involved in the pokemon creation project because of her qualifications in medicine and biology. An old fossil of a pokemon was what the project started with, but they used technology to extract parts of the DNA and enhance and repair it. They then used this DNA to make a pokemon. It grew quickly, and soon it was advanced enough to be taken from its tube. The young pokemon was named Mewtwo, and at first he had only been two feet tall. He had been sweet and innocent at first, and Opal took care of and played with Mewtwo every day. Mewtwo grew several inches each month, and eventually he was even taller than Opal. As he finished his development, the other scientist began performing many tests on Mewtwo, unknown to Opal. When she finally found out, she tried to stop them from doing anything painful to him, but they did not listen. Mewtwo used its powers to escape from the tests and escaped from Exaccus.

Opal was snapped from her recollections as the portal powered up one last time. Lucario appeared, blood dripping down his face from the top of his head. Seeing that he was with friends, Lucario stopped fighting off the fatigue he felt. As he started to fall over, Eridel caught him. They took him to the medical room and some quick scans revealed a concussion. Opal gave the proper medicines and cleaned up the head injury. She wrapped a few bandages around the wound and left Lucario with the rest of us to sleep.

Eridel left for his quarters, and he collapsed onto his bed right after removing his sword and armor. Opal was beginning to feel a little tired after the long day, but the new data from the scans proved to be exciting enough to keep her awake. She scanned the new data, seeing how Draconis, Charmandra, and Wave had changed. Absol accompanied her, like he had been throughout the day, helping with questions and other tasks. Originally, Absol had come with her after they left the lab, just in case any of Nerezzik's pokemon had gotten around the Exaccus soldiers. None of them had, or at least none had in time to attack the fleeing citizens, but Absol proved helpful in getting items and answering questions.

"It seems like I have found the change that Draconis, Charmandra, and Wave were preparing for earlier. Evolution is what it is called, right?" Opal asked.

"Some pokemon change, learning new attacks or becoming stronger," Absol explained. "The conditions have to be right for it to happen. Other pokemon, like me, are already perfect the way we start and don't evolve at all."

"I don't think you're what I would call perfect, but you are a good friend. So, you say certain conditions have to be fulfilled to evolve?"

"Yes, that's right. The conditions are different for each pokemon. Some take time and experience to evolve, but others need special items such as elemental stones."

"Well, you can go stay with your friends. I'm going to need some quiet now while I work this out. Goodnight, Absol."

Absol headed down to the medical area and joined the rest of us that were already asleep. Opal still had something she wanted to work on, so she continued going over the scans of that showed the cells and the changes that occurred through evolution. A sudden idea came to her, and so she worked late into the night on her sudden project.

The next morning we all woke up, stiff and sore from the night's battle. Lucario and Latias were bandaged up, but the rest of us had received only bruises and minor scrapes. Absol also had joined us again, so we decided to talk with him.

"How were your guard duties, Absol?" I asked.

"It was all a bore," he replied with a yawn. "Nothing happened so I just helped out Opal. She seems pretty nice."

"Our battle was difficult," Draconis added. "There were tons of enemies, so it wore us all down."

"After seeing how some of you fared, I'm almost glad I decided to go with Opal," Absol remarked.

Eridel entered the room, with a cart holding several trays of various fruits, nuts, grains, and berries. "I decided to bring you breakfast since Opal doesn't seem to be getting up yet," he greeted. "Just follow me to the habitat." He turned to me and asked: "Ben, do you want to eat here as a pokemon? We have plenty of other foods as well if you want to come with me."

I thought a little about his proposal, but then responded: "No, I like being a pokemon. I'll eat here with my friends."

"That's fine. Just be ready, I think we may have the final piece to defeating Nerezzik. It will require a little more traveling out of us, but it will be worth it. I'll tell you all about it after I get my sister."

We went back to the enclosed area of grass, plants, and the small pond that made up the indoor habitat. As we ate, Eridel left to go get some breakfast of his own and to get his sister. Some time later, both of them returned, both looking excited.

"Good morning pokemon!" Opal greeted. "I've been working on something for several of you. Its specifically for Draconis, Charmandra, Wave, and Ben. I'm not sure if it will work, but I want you all to come with me."

"I'll get to my own plans later, since my sister has told me a little of what she stayed up so late researching," Eridel added.

We moved through the corridors of Exaccus to laboratory full of machines. Pieces of equipment that I could only guess the functions of lay around, and many computer consoles surrounded the outside of this room. Opal led us to a large glass cylinder about 5 feet in diameter that stood next to a computer. She pressed a button and it opened up.

"I've been studying how you were before and after your evolutions, and I believe I've come up with a way to help it along," Opal explained. "After our scans last night, it is apparent that the bodies of Draconis, Charmandra, Wave, and Ben all are preparing for one more evolution. I've also seen the data from Lucario and Ninetales, and have seen how the cells are after the final evolution. With the data from before and after evolutions, I've come up with a process that might help it along, but haven't tested it yet. It will use specific energy patterns to try to amplify the energy of your own cells."

"I'll try it first," I decided, since it looked like none of the others had understood all of what Opal said. I went into the glass cylinder, which Opal closed as she began the process. After a few keystrokes from Opal, I began to hear a gentle humming sound. I also started to feel a slight tingling throughout my body. The sound increased in speed, and so did the strange feeling inside of me. Both kept building up until I thought I could take no more. At that moment, everything changed in a blinding flash of light, and the noise and feeling ended.

I could tell I was taller than before, and I could see the changes in my reflection in the glass. I was now a Swampert, the highest evolution of the Mudkip that I had been not too long ago. I now had two fins dark blue fins leading from my eyes to the back of my head. Orange pads covered parts of my arms and legs. My skin was the same blue on the top, but my belly and underside were a very light blue. My tail fin had become much larger as well.

Opal opened the glass once more, and I stepped out feeling confidant and powerful. After seeing my transformation, Draconis, Charmandra, and Wave all seemed excited to try it out.

"Excellent, it has worked," Opal proudly stated after examining the results. "You don't look like the cute little Mudkip that I saw you as at first anymore, but you do seem much more powerful. Now, who wants to go next?"

"I'll try it next!" Draconis replied in excitement.

He stepped into the the glass compartment and Opal activated the machinery once more. Draconis began glowing, and then transformed into a Charizard. He unfolded his large wings as he stepped out of the glass cylinder. As a Charizard, most of his scales were still the same orange color he had as a Charmander, but he also had dark blue-green wings extending from his shoulders. At the front of these wings, the bones that held them up were covered in the orange scales. On Draconis' belly the scales faded to their usual whitish color, except for the slight discoloration of the scars that Draconis had.

"I feel ready to take on a powerful opponent," Draconis stated confidently. "I also want to go fly. It's something I've wanted to do my whole life."

"Well, you all could run down to our simulators for a quick try when we're done here, so let's finish up," Opal suggested.

Wave went next, emerging as a Swampert as well. She kept her unique cream coloring that replaced the orange. Charmandra entered last, and emerged as a Charizard that had the same slightly pink hue unique to Charmandra. Both Draconis and Charmandra were taller than me still, just like they always had been whenever I was a pokemon. We each had to watch our step a bit more now, since we all were much larger than our previous forms.

"Ah, the joys of evolving, its been so long," Ninetales softly said.

"I remember being smaller so long ago," Lucario added.

"Well, I'm fine the way I am, and all my strength comes from my own efforts," Absol muttered.

We headed down to the simulator, which was a large room with strange black walls. Eridel put a few things into the simulator, and the room changed into a different scene. Around us was a grassy field, and approaching were several holographic foes.

"They aren't real, so don't be too worried. Just have some fun practicing," Eridel announced.

The opponents were based off of pokemon, but seemed a bit slow compared to the real things. Wave and I shot our powerful mud-shots and water guns at the foes, and they disappeared as the attacks hit. Draconis and Charmandra circled overhead as they practiced their new ability to fly. Draconis swooped down, hitting one of the foes with a slash. Charmandra decided to rain fire from the skies by unleashing her flamethrower. Each us seemed more powerful and sure than before, but against such easy foes, it was difficult to tell how much stronger we truly were.

Eridel stopped the simulation, and began to explain his plan. "Marcus, before he died, gave me this." Eridel pulled out a large circular crystal with the symbol of a flame etched onto the front. "Earlier he said that this had energies similar to our readings on the portal, and it just may be the key to opening it. The pokemon you mentioned, Aureolus, said that we would also need someone with a healing ability, and my sister certainly does have such a gift. We are going to try to free Aureolus from the seal upon her. It is our best hope for stopping Nerezzik now."

Lucario lit up with joy now that the plan to free Aureolus had been revealed. Trying to thank Eridel in human speech, he ended up with: "Glorious tidings, Eridel, I thank ye."

Eridel, Opal, and I laughed a little at Lucario's archaic sayings, and we moved to the teleporter that would take us directly to the portal. It was late morning and the sun was high in the sky, but the tree in the courtyard provided some cool shade. Eridel placed the fire emblem into the indentation in the stone, and the multi-colored light of the portal appeared. It grew large enough for us to enter, so we stepped inside of it.

We were back inside the strange place between the worlds. The strange floors, ceilings, and walls made of white light surrounded us. At the far end of the passage, a portal just like the one we had gone through was open, and in between the two was the entrance to where Aureolus was.

"The portal home, it does look inviting doesn't it Draconis?" Charmandra asked.

"It does, but we must stop Nerezzik," Draconis answered.

We walked to the entrance to Aureolus' sanctuary, and stepped inside as the barrier that blocked the entrance was lowered. Aureolus sat just like I had seen her the last time I was here. Her majestic wings were outstretched and the yellow sphere in the center of her chest radiated its yellow lines outwards onto her body. Her soft white feathers looked majestic, and the crystals floated about her in their usual circle.

Aureolus spoke directly to our minds. "You have returned, and I can sense you are all much stronger. Ben, you are strong and wise, but I can sense you still have a conflict deep within you that you have yet to realize. Draconis, you radiate courage and determination. Charmandra, I have not met you yet, but I can sense your deep feelings for Draconis and your desire to help him. Wave, I have also not met you, but I know that all these changes and new places are helping you to grow. Lucario, my old friend, I can sense you are happy to be able to free me, and we shall begin that process shortly. Ninetales, I can sense that you are finally feeling the weight of time upon you, but your desire to continue helping both worlds is admirable. Eridel, you remind of a knight I once knew. Like you, he tirelessly practiced his swordsmanship, but in the end, he found that protecting others was his true joy. Opal, you possess the healing touch. You also have used your knowledge to try to help bridge the gaps between humans and pokemon. Absol, I sense that you are still trying to overcome your painful past, and you are making excellent progress. Latias, you are a new face, but I can sense the pain in your heart. Fear not, for when I am free, I will help restore your brother, Latios, to his true self."

Everyone thought a bit about the comments of Aureolus, but Latias seemed the most hopeful. "Let's free Aureolus!" she shouted.

"To break the seal will not be easy, but I can guide you through it. It will require many hours of focus, so prepare yourselves."

Since it was around lunch, we had a quick meal and all prepared for the coming ritual.

"Okay, are you ready to begin?" Aureolus asked.

"Yes, we are ready," Lucario replied.

"Good, now Ninetales, you will need to get out the spell book the wizard gave you. I can sense you don't have sufficient magic yourself, so we'll have to use up the book's magic instead. While this may destroy the book, it is the only way to free me. Now recite the words of the revealing spell, and focus it through the book."

Ninetales produced the book from the center of his nine tales, where he had been holding it with several of his tails. He opened the book and began to recite the words of magic. Ninetales kept repeating the same phrase, and each time the book started to crumble away a little bit. After almost an hour of this, the book was entirely gone, but several indistinct objects began to appear on the body of Aureolus. As the book disintegrated and Ninetales stopped the chant, the objects solidified into something tangible. The seal was now visible and took the form of black chains, shackles, and symbols that surrounded Aureolus.

"Good, the first part is complete," Aureolus explained. "Now I need all of you to focus your attacks on the seal."

We followed Aureolus' command and unleashed our attacks on the seal. Slowly the black chains seemed to fade away and fall off of Aureolus. After another hour, all the chains and shackles were gone, leaving only a series of large black triangles that surrounded the yellow sphere at the center of Aureolus.

"Now, we will need your healing ability, Opal," Aureolus announced. "This is the last and strongest part of the seal. Anyone could try to remove the black triangles, but they replace themselves extremely fast. You will have to focus and remove them all as quickly as possible. They are bound to each other by the small spikes in the corners."

Opal focused her ability, and began the task before her. She pulled off the spikes and several triangles, and slowly, there was less and less. When only a few were left, they suddenly started to regenerate from the remaining triangles. She worked even harder, and finally she removed the last one. She collapsed to the ground after using her ability for such a long time.

Aureolus slowly folded her wings inward, and took a few slow steps around, her talons clicking on the floor. "I am free!" she proclaimed joyously. "I thank you all for your hard work, and now I will help you all. First, take my blessing."

Aureolus unfolded her wings once more, and the yellow sphere and lines on her body started to glow. The crystal that constantly floated around her moved to a specific pattern as beams of light shot from the sphere and lines on Aureolus. The crystals focused the light, shining a brilliant beam onto each of us. The beam immediately invigorated all of us.

"You now all have my strongest blessing," Aureolus stated. "It will give you some protection against Nerezzik's dark attacks as well as make you immune to his control if you should ever fall to his forces."

Lucario approached Aureolus, and embraced her. She was almost twice as tall as Lucario, but folded her wings about him. "I'm glad to have you back," he said.

"And I'm glad to get to travel with you again," Aureolus added. "Let's go free those under his control and stop him from causing any more harm."

Aureolus led the way, flying out the door gracefully. We followed and soon we were all back at the Arrol, the world of the humans. The ruined city was around us, and Aureolus looked a little sad as she surveyed it.

"The humans have advanced far with their ages of peace," Aureolus observed. "Unfortunately, this made them easy prey for Nerezzik, since they lost nearly any defenses. I've seen images of both worlds over the ages that I lived between them, and I've seen both progress."

"Our best efforts have proved unable to stop him," Eridel added. "You are our last hope, Aureolus. I'll activate the recall beacon now so that we may return to our base to plan our next attack against Nerezzik."

Eridel tried to activate the recall beacon, but this time it would not work. "What? It isn't working!" he exclaimed in frustration. "That could only mean two things. Either the teleporters have been disabled by someone at Exaccus, or they have been destroyed, which would mean Nerezzik has reached Exaccus headquarters."

Opal seemed shaken by this news, and stated: "If Nerezzik has reached headquarters, these are dark times indeed. All the refugees were staying outside of there, so I shudder to think if Nerezzik has reached them."

"With the teleportation system offline, I guess we'll have to use other ways of travel," Eridel declared. After checking a few things on his handheld computer, he reported on his plan. "I'm getting no data from our base, but it seems that the airport for Origin City that is to the South was untouched by Nerezzik's forces. Most of the planes there were taken, but I think Exaccus had some of its own aircraft in a secret hangar. Aureolus, could you fly me to the airport to see if any are left?"

"I haven't flown anyone somewhere in ages, but I can take you there quickly," replied Aureolus. "Just hop on my back and hold on."

Eridel got on Aureolus and the two flew off to the south. After waiting for a while, the two returned without anything new.

"No luck," Eridel explained. "Perhaps we could use pokemon to fly there since Aureolus, Latias, Draconis, and Charmandra can all fly."

"Sounds like it's our only option, and I'm willing to try," Draconis responded.

Aureolus was the largest of the flying pokemon, and so she would take Eridel, Opal, Absol, and Ninetales. Latias would take Lucario. Draconis would take me, and Charmandra would take Wave. Draconis, Charmandra, and Latias got off to a slow start, since they had never flown with passengers before. Slowly, we increased speed, and the city passed quickly below us. Eridel and Opal led the way on Aureolus, and the rest of us follow. After flying for a while, a distant plume of smoke rose from the ground in the distance where Exaccus headquarters had been. As we got closer, we could see humans fleeing in many directions with pokemon chasing after them. We landed and got off of Aureolus, Latias, Draconis, and Charmandra, so that they would be able to fight at their full speed. Up ahead, we could see many people running away from Nerezzik's forces. Many ran as fast as they could, but the pokemon were faster and would take down some of the slower ones from time to time.

"No! This must end!" Aureolus proclaimed as she flew high into the heavens.


	30. Chapter 29: Radiance of a Thousand Suns

Chapter 29: Radiance of a Thousand Suns

Aureolus glided to the sky on her white wings. As she flew up, the yellow sphere in her chest began to glow brighter and brighter. As she reached a point high above the ruins of Exaccus headquarters, a blinding light burst forth, spreading from her wings. It was like a second sun had burst forth in the skies above us, sending its rays over the entire area.

Nerezzik, at the center of the destruction, was unexpectedly hit by immense pain as the light burst forth. Aureolus! How could she be here? As the light from Aureolus hit each mind under Nerezzik's control, he felt as if each mind was attacking his own. As he fell over in agony, Nerezzik relinquished his control over all but his strongest, just like he had thousands of years ago in his last battle with Aureolus. With the release of so many, the light was still painful, but now the pain was at endurable levels. Now the only ones left under his control were Latios, Regirock, Registeel, Regice, Mew, and Deoxys. Mewtwo also still was his ally, unchanged by the attack.

As the many pokemon were released from Nerezzik's control, they began to cry both in joy and sorrow. Their freedom was something to celebrate, but what they had done haunted all of them. Although it was not their choice, the pokemon had destroyed cities, homes, and lives. Looking around just confirmed their sorrow, the many dead humans a testament to the horrible acts they had been forced to do.

Aureolus glided back down to where we stood. "One of my most powerful attacks, Nova," began Aureolus. "It has freed many from Nerezzik's control, but he still can hold a few minds and endure its power. We should get moving and find him."

We moved towards the center of the battlefield, and as we did, the sights grew more and more gruesome. All the refugees and people had been taken here, and only a few had escaped Nerezzik's onslaught. Bodies of the dead lay where they had been overtaken in their flights from Nerezzik's forces. I only hoped that my family had escaped. As we continued moving towards the ruins of Exaccus headquarters, the freed pokemon started to follow us. We continued onward, but nearly all the pokemon came to see Aureolus.

She turned and gazed at those she had freed with both a caring but commanding stare. "Many of you may be confused," she announced. "You may be wondering what to do with your newfound freedom. You also may wonder if you can be forgiven for the blood that you have spilled. Your sorrows show me that you all want to make amends. Fear not, you can help. We are going to stop Nerezzik, and you all may join us."

The pokemon roared their agreement, and joined us as we approached the burning ruins of Exaccus. Nerezzik and his remaining few waited at the ruins. A few hasty pokemon ran forward to attack him, but a psychic barrier blocked them. The barrier remained as we approached, and Nerezzik approached from within it.

"I see it's you, Aureolus!" he hissed in hatred. "You've managed to free those under my control once again, but I have a proposal that you won't be able to refuse."

"Why should we listen to you!" Latias yelled back at him. "Give me back my brother!"

"Silence! I was speaking to Aureolus!" Nerezzik reprimanded. "Now back to my proposal. Aureolus, we both know how our last battle ended, and I don't wish for such an ending this time. Instead, I challenge you and any you wish to bring to a series of one on one battles. You will face the few I still control, and if you can beat them, you will face me. This way, we'll see who is the strongest without any interruptions or distractions."

"Why would we accept such a challenge, when it is clearly the numbers we have that is our advantage?" Eridel asked.

"I see you need a little convincing," Nerrezik replied. "Mewtwo, bring out the captives."

Many humans floated forward, held by Mewtwo's psychic powers. There was around 20 people that Nerrezik had as hostages. I immediately recognized that the hostages were all members of the council. The government was comprised of the courts, the legislators, and the council. The council was the leaders of the world government, and helped with trade and world issues. Both Eridel, Opal, and I all told Aureolus of the importance of these people.

"We shall accept your proposal," Aureolus stated. "Where shall these battles be held?"

"Tomorrow morning, I and my allies shall return here," Nerezzik answered. "We shall fight then. For now, we'll be leaving, but we left something in the ruins that I'm sure Ben will want to see."

Mewtwo used his psychic powers and the barrier surrounded the hostages, Nerezzik, and the others. They all then floated away into the mountains, and soon were out of sight. Nerezzik's final words were a bit chilling, so we began to search the ruins. After searching for a few minutes, we found part a circle in the smoldering rubble that had been cleared away. Inside the circle were several dead people, and as we grew nearer, my heart was filled with fear.

I climbed over the last of the debris, and could now see who Nerezzik had killed. As I did, I collapsed to the ground in sorrow. Wave, Draconis, Absol, and Charmandra took a closer look at the bodies, and then tried to console me as they saw who Nerezzik had killed.

Wave was the first to come and spoke in a somber tone. "I'm really sorry. If there is anything I can do to help, I'm here for you."

Draconis also approached and offered some words of his own. "I've gone through the pain of losing family. It will be hard at first, but I'm here to support you as well."

Regardless of their words, my family was now dead. The marks of Nerezzik's claws on their necks made it immediately apparent he had done this to hurt me. With his psychic abilities, he must have been able to sense they were connected to me, and so he had killed them. Inside a maelstrom of feelings erupted. Sorrow and rage combined, making me feel numb and empty. If only I had stopped Nerezzik sooner… then this might not have happened.

The rest of the day passed in a silence. The silence seemed to honor the dead, and the pokemon that were now free helped bury those that they had killed. As the sun crossed the sky, I sat on the fallen stones that had been part of Exaccus. I ran out of tears as the shock and sorrow gave way to the rage that burned within me. As the sun began setting Aureolus perched on the remains of a wall near where I was sitting.

"You've given much to help the two worlds," she began. "Sorrow and anger have taken hold of your heart now. You should bury the dead, but don't bury your feelings. Such things are best dealt with openly."

"Nerezzik will die for this," I responded.

"I'll leave you to decide what to do for yourself, just don't become to wrapped up in thoughts of revenge," Aureolus concluded as she flew off.

In the final light of sunset, I lifted myself from the stone I lay on, and went back to the circle. Using my greater strength that I now had as a Swampert, I slammed down on the ground, unleashing an earthquake attack. The ground split open, and I gently placed the bodies of my family inside the fissure. Tears came to my eyes as I remembered my life as a normal human, which now was a distant memory. It hadn't been as adventurous or exciting as my time as a pokemon, but it had been a good time in my life. And now, it was gone. My home, my world, and my family all destroyed by this pointless hatred Nerezzik had for humans. I grabbed several stone slabs, and placed them in the fissure as I filled it with the stone and dirt that remained from the Exaccus building. To finish it, I filled the cracks with mud, and sent for Draconis. I told him to heat and dry the mud, but before he did, I placed one last stone slab sticking out of the mud. He unleashed his flamethrower, and the mud dried and hardened. The grave was now complete.

The others gathered for dinner, but no one felt like eating much. I still sat, numb from the events of the day. "I brought you some food," Wave greeted. "You should eat something, it will help you feel a little better." She held several things out for me, but I just settled with eating a few berries. Aureolus had sent the newly freed pokemon to help take food to the humans that were scattered around. The pokemon would help take care of the people and take them back to their homes while we would fight Nerezzik.

After a few hours of lying awake, I slipped into sleep. The next morning came, and it felt like the previous day was a terrible nightmare. I still couldn't believe that my family was gone, but I would fight Nerezzik with all my power to avenge them. Soon, Nerezzik, Deoxys, Mew, the Regis, Mewtwo, and Latios approached, and the battle would soon begin.

"Today is when we shall end this," Aureolus began. "Nerezzik chose this path a long time ago, and since he will not turn from it, I will stop him. Now are the rest of you ready?"

"I'll fight to my last if it leads to victory," Lucario stated.

"After living a thousand years, I'm determined to fight for my world," Ninetales added.

"I'll finally be able to stop this disaster," Absol commented.

"Like my fathers before me, I'll strive to be a hero," Draconis announced.

"I'll fight to protect the one I love," Charmandra said.

"I'll finally free my brother," Latias voiced.

"Once we win today, we can start rebuilding this world," Eridel expressed.

"Perhaps we will be able to connect the worlds of pokemon and men in peace after this battle is over," Opal declared.

"I'll avenge you, my family, as well as any others Nerezzik has destroyed," I vowed.

"I've followed my feelings this far, and I will today," Wave concluded.

Aureolus seemed pleased at our determination and resolve. Nerezzik had arrived and so he was deciding who to send first. "I suppose I'll send my newest recruit first," he began. "Latios, you will fight them for me."

"I'll fight them!" I declared, but I could feel Latias' arm on my back.

"No, it is my brother, and I will free him, even if I must hurt him," Latias declared.

So, the first battle would be Latias against Latios, and the rest of us watched as the two flew up to face each other. Latias stared deeply into the eyes of Latios with a sad but determined look. She could still sense the pain that facing her against his will brought to his heart, and she was determined to free him, even if it meant causing him harm.

Latias flew forward and launched the first attack. Her powerful dragonbreath attack engulfed her brother, but he cut through it with his own psychic attack. She followed up with a psychic attack of her own. The mental energy of both attacks met between the two, the two moves trying to push past one another. Both continued focusing, and the purple energy expanded. Soon it became unstable as both put more of their energy into it, and the energy spilled over, hitting both.

Latias flew backwards, sliding along the grass as she hit the ground. Her brother also was knocked backwards like she was. She launched herself forward for an attack. Her brother was a bit slow to recover, so she reached him as he was getting up. She flew above him, clasping both his wings with her claws. She flew into the air, and after building some speed up, she slammed him into the ground. She turned about and launched another dragonbreath, the attack burning and hitting him precisely.

As Latias prepared for another attack, Latios unleashed his luster purge, the bright energy putting Latias off guard. He followed up by flying into Latias at full speed, which knocked her painfully into the ground. It seemed he was copying her own combo attack, so she rolled to the side and managed to barely avoid the dragonbreath attack. She hit him with her psychic attack as he recuperated from using his own attack. The red mental energy of Latias surrounded him, slamming him into the ground. Latias then followed up by hitting him in the neck as he looked to see where she had gone.

Latios landed on his back, and coughed up a little blood from the blunt hit to his neck. Latias seemed to slow down as she saw her brother's condition, which gave him the chance to use another luster purge. The bright energy hit Latias, and then the blue energy of Latios' psychic surrounded her. He then unleashed a dragonbreath attack, which sent her sprawling on the ground. She tried to get up, but saw her brother flying towards her, so she tried to avoid him. Her brother still managed to slash her belly with his claws, and as she took to the skies once more, her own wound dripped crimson droplets slowly to the ground.

Both Latias and Latios charged forward one more time. They collided and grappled in mid-air, scratching and biting one another as they fell to the ground. The two landed on the ground on their sides, and the impact separated the two. They both sat on the ground, bloody and panting, and prepared for a final attack. Latias used psywave, her fastest attack, and the wave of red energy knocked her brother down, causing his dragonbreath attack to go astray. Latias shot another psywave, and her brother collapsed to the ground. This last attack used up Latias' last energy, and she felt faint and soon collapsed to the ground as well.

Draconis and Charmandra retrieved the fallen siblings, and flew them back to Opal and Aureolus. Aureolus unleashed a small beam of light upon Latios, channeled through one of her floating crystals. Opal then set to work, trying to mend the many scratches on both that trickled blood out slowly.

"It seems they were pretty evenly matched," Ninetales commented. "I doubt either will be able to fight for a while."

"It looks like I'm down to 6, and your down to 8," Nerezzik observed. "Mewtwo, would you like to go even the odds?"

"I suppose I shall fight them," was Mewtwo's reply. "They seem like they might be a challenge, since that swordsman injured me earlier."

"And I'll take you on again!" Eridel shouted.

"No, sometimes there are fights you can't win, Eridel," Opal warned. "I'll take on Mewtwo."

Everyone was surprised by Opal's statement except Eridel, who looked worried. "But you're not a…" Absol stammered.

"A fighter?" Opal finished. "No, I'm not a fighter, but I have something more powerful than force on my side. Mewtwo will be surprised."

Mewtwo stepped out to the middle of the field we were fighting in. Patches of it had been incinerated by the dragonbreath attacks and parts of it were scraped up were Latios and Latias had crashed during their battle. She finished her care of Latias and Latios, and Opal stepped out to face him, a sly smile worn on her face.


	31. Chapter 30: Memories

Chapter 30: Memories

"A female human without any weapons expects to fight me?" Mewtwo scoffed. Inwardly, the woman seemed familiar to Mewtwo. Was she part of his past that he had tried so hard to forget? "Since it is apparent you have no way to harm me, I'll give you one move. Will you leave while you have the chance?"

Opal faced Mewtwo without fear. "Thank you, but I will not turn back. Mewtwo, do you remember?"

"Remember what, human?"

"Try to remember long ago, when you were young."

Mewtwo recalled his early life several years ago. The tests, the experiments, and the pain. Was that all there was? Something seemed somehow missing. No, that couldn't be. There was only the pain of that one day, brought by the humans. "I only remember how you humans used me!" Mewtwo shouted after some thought. "Now your time is up."

Mewtwo built his power, the psychic energy glowing blue around his hand. He unleashed a small attack, sending Opal flying backwards, where Eridel caught her.

"Opal, please let someone else fight. You'll just be injured, and we have no one that could heal you," Eridel pleaded.

"Very well, it seems my plan did not work yet," Opal replied as Eridel set her back on her feet. "I won't give up on it yet, so all of you hold on while I get something." Opal went to her large bags of medical supplies and began searching through them for something.

Seeing that his first challenger would not return, Mewtwo was impatient. "Send out someone to face me!" he declared.

"I suppose it shall be our rematch then!" Eridel exclaimed as he took to the battlefield.

Eridel with his glowing sword and his shiny blue armor took a fighting stance. Mewtwo floated upwards, charging his energy. The grass waved in the wind for a brief moment and blew through Eridel's fiery hair before Eridel rushed forward to attack. Eridel went with an overhead swing of the sword, but Mewtwo floated away from the attack. Eridel continued forward and used his momentum to jump into a forward thrust. The blade hit home, causing a deep slash on Mewtwo's tail which he had used to stop the blade from hitting his vital areas.

With Eridel's sword caught by Mewtwo's tail, Mewtwo grabbed Eridel with one arm, and thrust a shadow ball into Eridel's chest with the other. The black energy exploded, and although the armor provided some protection, the majority of the attack went through. Mewtwo released Eridel and the sword as he completed the attack, and Eridel landed on his back. The ghostly energy of the shadow ball made Eridel feel weak and cold. He struggled to get up, and Mewtwo was ready with his next attack.

Mewtwo concentrated his mental powers, and used them to hit Eridel with a bolt of lightning that Mewtwo unleashed from his hand. Mewtwo could focus and use other attacks besides his psychic ones. Such attacks expended more of his energy, but Mewtwo already knew the armor made Eridel immune to psychic attacks. The lightning hit Eridel. His armor absorbed some of the energy, but most of it raced through Eridel's body, causing a searing pain. Eridel fell to his knees from the attack.

Mewtwo began charging up another long-range attack, and Eridel knew that his only hope would be to use the extra powers of his sword. Eridel adjusted the hilt, activating the mechanism that would unleash the sword's true power. Once activated, each photon sword could unleash beams of energy, but each one would drain the sword permanently. Each use meant it would fade a little, becoming weaker until it could no longer be effective as a weapon. Using this technique, Eridel would have a few hits, so he had to make them count.

Mewtwo unleashed another streak of lightning, but Eridel had been ready, his sword held forward in defense. The sword absorbed the attack, and Eridel rushed towards Mewtwo once more, who floated upwards to avoid attack. Eridel then unleashed his first beam from his sword, which hit Mewtwo, knocking him from the sky. The blade lost some of its radiance, but still glowed brightly as Eridel moved in for another attack. Mewtwo had been knocked to the ground, and lay on his back, trying to get up. Eridel swung his blade, but Mewtwo blocked the blade with his hand, the blade cutting deeply into it.

Blood dripping from one hand, Mewtwo unleashed another shadow ball from the other, sending Eridel flying backwards once again. Mewtwo took this reprieve to close up his bleeding wounds, while Eridel struggled to get up. Eridel managed to regain his stance, but he was wearing down. He readied his blade for one last round of attacks. Using the beam another time, Eridel once again distracted Mewtwo. The blade was visibly more dull than before, but Eridel initiated a sweeping blow aimed horizontally. The blow hit home, but the weapon did not cut as deep as before with its power drained. Mewtwo was knocked two the ground, a bleeding gash now across his chest. Mewtwo got up, one arm covering his injury. Mewtwo waved the other arm, shaking the ground. Eridel lost his balance due to his fatigue, and fell. Blood streamed downward over Mewtwo's arm, but a blue light surrounded the wound as Mewtwo began to concentrate on recovering. The wound slowly knitted itself back together.

Mewtwo was gasping from exhaustion after recovering his wound, but Eridel wasn't in much better shape. Eridel unsteadily got to his feet once more, but Mewtwo charged up another shadow ball. The black sphere was unavoidable in Eridel's condition, and it slammed him into the ground. Eridel slid a few feet, and was now unconscious.

"Finish him, Mewtwo!" Nerezzik commanded.

"No! Don't be fooled!" interrupted Opal as she finished her searching. "You weren't meant to be like this, Mewtwo! I remember when you weren't."

"I wasn't… like this?" Mewtwo asked, his weariness showing in his voice. "But I've always been alone. No friends, no others like me, nothing."

"That's not true, but you can't seem to remember," Opal answered. "Here take this, it may help you remember before the pain, many years ago."

Opal threw Mewtwo a faceted ball made of metal and crystal. It reflected the light in amazing patterns and colors that changed each time it was moved. Mewtwo levitated the ball before him, looking deeply into its colors. Where we only saw light and color, Mewtwo saw much more. The long forgotten and repressed memories of his time with the humans came flooding forth.

Mewtwo was brought back to his earliest days. He remembered floating blind and warm in the liquid of his tube. He remembered opening his eyes, and seeing the people in the lab, monitoring him. He remembered when the liquid drained, and the tube opened, exposing him to the cold air of the world. He remembered feeling weak and small as he stumbled from his tube only a few feet tall, but he also remembered a kind hand coming. A kind hand removing the cords, and wrapping him in fuzzy blankets. "We need more tests," was the demands of the others.

But another voice full of kindness, the voice that belonged to the kind hand demanded something else. "Creatures need love and kindness, not just tests," argued the voice, sounding younger but wiser than the others. The arguing went on, but the kind voice won. Mewtwo was taken to a place with grass, with trees, and with a pond. As Mewtwo left the blankets and looked at the natural world with wonder, the kind voice called to him, handing him the same ball that this woman had thrown at him now. He finally remembered her face, young, but with long white hair. A single word came to Mewtwo's mind as he remembered the face. "Mother?" Mewtwo whispered to himself.

Realizing that this woman before him now was the same as in his memories, Mewtwo called out in a wavering voice. "Mother?"

Opal smiled wistfully, despite the condition of her brother. "Yes, you did call me that so many years ago. Unfortunately, your pain must have blotted out your good memories. I tried to stop the tests that I knew would be painful, but I could not always be with you."

"Are you sure you can forgive me, after what I've done?" Mewtwo questioned, a sad look in his eye.

"Some things you have done can never be fixed, but I'll forgive you if you turn from the path you are on now," Opal replied. "I know that you once were kind, loving, and good, and I know that you can be that way again with someone to help you."

Mewtwo walked over to Opal, and gave her a hug. "I'm so glad to have remembered," he said, as Opal returned the embrace. The two separated, Opal now with some of Mewtwo's blood on her shirt. She got out a small cloth and began wiping off the blood on Mewtwo, but Mewtwo stopped her and telepathically removed the rest of it.

Opal now went to tend to Eridel, and Mewtwo turned to face Nerezzik. As Opal checked her brother, Mewtwo made his new choice clear. "I will fight for neither side in this battle," he declared. "The hostages are safe, but I will not attempt to rescue them either. I'm just going to go think things through away from all this, but I will return shortly. Nerezzik, if you so much as even touch Opal, I'll kill you." With this final warning, Mewtwo floated off to the nearby mountains, moving slowly after his battle. Opal finished checking Eridel, and he would be alright when he woke up. He might be bruised and sore, but he would recover. Opal watched Mewtwo go, and the ball she had given him danced brightly around him as he controlled it.

Despite losing such a valuable ally, Nerezzik still seemed to have an odd confidence about him. "Well, at least he took down one of your group before leaving. The numbers are still 5 to 7 in your favor. I suppose I shall send my silent but sturdy one next. Registeel, crush them like you always have!"

The round steel elemental, with it short legs, took several thundering steps into the center of the battlefield. Both of its black arms tipped with steel fingers stood loose at its sides. The seven red circles, arranged in a hexagon, that made up its eyes shone with a menacing gleam.

"I've faced this one before," Charmandra commented. "I'm much stronger now. Draconis, I'll defeat him."

Draconis thought about the situation. Charmandra had improved, but could she take on Registeel alone? It seemed she wanted to show her strength. "Do your best, but don't get hurt," he replied.

So, the next round would be Charmandra against Registeel. Charmandra flapped her wings and took to the sky, but landed within range of her opponent, ready for action.


	32. Chapter 31: Regicide

Chapter 31: Regicide

Charmandra initiated the battle with her flamethrower. The jet of flames hit Registeel directly, and Charmandra kept it going as long as she could. Registeel seemed weakened by the attack, but it also locked onto her location. Charmandra flew into the air, and unleashed another flamethrower while flying above her enemy. Registeel began charging up an attack, and a moment later, a stunning zap cannon hit Charmandra.

Paralyzed, Charmandra could only watch as she fell towards the ground. She hit the ground and slid forward, her nose scraping the dirt. Registeel followed with ancientpower, sending several rocks crashing into Charmandra. Badly bruised, she recovered from the paralysis, and took to the skies again.

Although she had never tried it before, Charmandra decided to unleash the signature attack of the Charizard: Heat Wave. She inhaled deeply, and then let out a wave of superheated air at Registeel. The grass around Registeel was incinerated, and the iron pokemon started to glow red from the heat. The red gleam in its eyes seemed to be fading, but white energy began to gather around Registeel. Registeel then unleashed its hyper beam at Charmandra, who tried to avoid the destructive white blast. She was hit a glancing blow, and sent upwards into the sky.

The attack knocked out Charmandra, and she spiraled towards the ground. Draconis kicked off the ground, trying to save her. Rushing forward, Draconis was almost to reach Charmandra, but she was almost to hit the ground. At the last second, Draconis latched onto her. She barely skimmed the top of the grass at first, but Draconis flew higher as he returned.

Draconis set her gently down near Opal, who began examining the injuries she had received. Both the electrical damage and bruising was all internal, so Opal count not provide a quick heal for either.

Opal finished her examination. "Nothing too serious, but I can't treat it very well. I'll just give her this medicine which will help the bruises."

Draconis seemed worried. "Should I have let her fight? She did well, but wasn't strong enough to win. I suppose every bit counts, since Registeel looks almost gone."

Wave seemed encouraged by Draconis's statement. "I'll finish off Registeel!"

After seeing Charmandra's defeat, I was a little worried. "Are you sure you are strong enough? If you feel confident, then go, but think about your opponent's power first. Also, use your ground attacks, they'll be stronger."

Wave rushed forward. "Thanks for the advice, I'm sure I can finish this!" she shouted back. After getting close to Registeel, Wave pounded the ground, unleashing her earthquake attack. The seismic attack knocked Registeel over, and the glow in its eyes faded to black.

Wave looked back at us with a joyful look. "I won! But I'll have to thank Charmandra for weakening it. I think I'll stay and fight another opponent."

I gave a congratulatory wave to her, and watched as Nerezzik sent out Regice next. Wave started with a water gun, but Regice matched with ice beam. When the two attacks collided, the water froze into an ice wall that now stood between the two combatants. Wave paced for a second and then blasted a mud-shot at the wall. The hard ball of mud shattered the wall and continued onward to hit Regice.

The familiar white energy gathered around Regice as it charged up the next attack. Wave unleashed an earthquake to try and shake off Regice's aim. The hyper beam was unleashed, and it struck Wave directly. She rolled several times from the impact, and she struggled to get up for one last attack.

Wave unleashed her endeavor attack. The more injured the user, the more the move focuses their power. Wave was close to her limit, so as she slammed into Regice with the attack, Regice was knocked down. As it slowly got to its feet, Wave hit it with several more mud-shots. Wave began an earthquake attack, but Regice shot an ice beam at her. The earthquake hit Regice, toppling the icy pokemon, but its attack also hit Wave. A slight frost formed on Wave's skin as she collapsed.

I ran out to get Wave after the battle. She was cold and unconscious, but she would recover with a little rest. I took her to Opal, who began taking care of her. Meanwhile, Nerezzik had chosen Regirock as his next fighter. If I fought, I'd have the type advantage, but I was going to save all my power for vengeance on Nerezzik. Instead, Lucario was chosen to fight against the being of rocks.

Lucario ran forward at an incredible speed. Regirock tried to hit him with rock throw, but Lucario jumped up on the rock, and then used it to propel himself towards Regirock. He jumped onto the top of Regirock and used his bone rush attack. Lucario repeatedly smacked his foe in the face with the sharp bone on the back of his hand. Registeel tried to remove Lucario with a direct hyper beam, put Lucario did a backflip, avoiding the attack.

As he landed on the ground, Lucario charged up his special attack: pulse bomb. The ball of energy hit Regirock in the back, knocking it down. Lucario then nailed Regirock with a metal claw attack, causing slight cracks to appear from the blow. Regirock's eyes blinked between red and black. Lucario jumped forward for another bone rush, but Regirock started glowing. Lucario paused and tried to jump backwards to avoid the attack, but it was too late. Regirock poured all of its energy into a massive explosion, which sent Lucario flying.

Lucario bounced across the ground like a stone skipping on a pond. As he came to a stop, his left arm was bent at an odd angle. "Don't move him until I check him first!" Opal commanded as she rushed over.

Opal went over his body, feeling his arms, legs, and chest for injuries. She stopped for a long time on his left arm, and then called Draconis to help move Lucario to her supplies.

Opal seemed a little grim. "At least he's unconscious or this would really hurt. His left arm is broken, so I'm going to have to set it. Draconis hold onto him."

Opal set the bone. Lucario's arm now looked normal except for some swelling. Opal wrapped the arm and a splint in bandages to prevent movement. Next, she got a sling and put that around it. As she finished, she set Lucario down and then cleaned up some of his scrapes. "I'm afraid he won't be able to battle for a long time," Opal concluded.

Ninetales gazed towards our foes. "It seems we only have a few opponents left. I believe it is my turn to fight," he stated.

"So who will I match up against?" Ninetales questioned Nerezzik.

"I suppose its time I send Mew out!" Nerezzik hissed. "Destroy them all!"

Mew floated to the battlefield where Ninetales was waiting. Although Ninetales was old and wise, Mew would be a powerful opponent, despite her cute appearance. This coming battle would certainly be a mix of power and cunning.


	33. Chapter 32: Costs of Victory

Chapter 32: Costs of Victory

Ninetales led with a confuse ray. Mew took one look at the shimmering attack, and then used her own safeguard, which encased her in a white barrier. Ninetales followed up with a flamethrower, but Mew easily evaded the red flames. Ninetales tried a fire spin next, but Mew simply redirected the attack back at him.

With his long range attacks useless, Ninetales moved in using his quick attack. The attack scored a light hit on Mew, but did not do any visible damage. Ninetales tried another quick attack, but Mew floated to the side at the last second. Mew then unleashed her psychic attack. The white energy surrounded Ninetales and lifted him into the air. Try as he might, Ninetales could do nothing as he was slammed into the ground.

Ninetales let out a snarl and continued trying to attack Mew. Mew managed to avoid or stop every attack, and laughed at Ninetales attempts. After every few attacks, Mew would use its own attack. At first it used only its psychic, but now it used metronome. A thunderwave attack issued from Mew. The yellow bolts of energy struck Ninetales, paralyzing him. Mew threw Ninetales about with its psychic attacks, and Ninetales was now sore from the many bruises.

Ninetales decided to change his strategy. His normal attacks were almost completely useless, and Mew was slowly defeating him. He would have to resort to the magic he had learned. The magic came in three kinds: attack, utility, and defense. Utility magic required the least energy and involved actions such as teleporting or augmenting abilities. Ninetales was the most practiced in this category. The defense magic created barriers for protection, but required more energy and skill than Ninetales had attained so far. The final magic, attack magic, was simple to use, but came with a large price. Using attack magic beyond one's ability or magical energy would result in the power for the spells being drained directly from one's own life force. For this exact reason Ninetales had been reluctant and only practiced the most basic attack spells.

Ninetales started one of the basic attack spells, and could feel a large amount of his magic draining. The attack was called void, and Ninetales recited the ancient words. Suddenly many black spheres formed around Mew. Mew tried to fly away from the spheres, but they just followed. As Ninetales finished the chant, tendrils of darkness sprouted from each sphere and engulfed Mew. The attack faded, and it was apparent that Mew had been dealt a good amount of damage from the spell.

Both Mew and Ninetales breathed heavily from fatigue. Mew now came at Ninetales with all of her power, unleashing a psychic attack several times more powerful than previous one. Ninetales survived the attack, but was not certain he could last much longer. Mew began another metronome while Ninetales began the incantation for his next spell. Both attacks finished at the same time. The metronome resulted in mega kick, so Mew's large pink foot hit Ninetales in the side. The effects of Ninetales spell began. A circle of flame appeared and grew larger and brighter. After some time, a white-hot pillar of flames flew straight at Mew. Mew tried to stop this attack, but it hit Mew, causing serious burns all over.

Ninetales could feel most of his magic draining, but Mew, with blackened patches all over her body, seemed to be almost gone. Mew unleashed a psybeam. The concentrated psychic energy knocked Ninetales down, and almost defeated him. He had to end this now, so he recalled one of the last spells he had studied. While chanting, Ninetales traced ancient runes on the ground that began to glow. Mew started burning with a purple flame, and shrieked in agony. Mew collapsed to the ground and the spell ended.

After the spell, Ninetales felt all of his remaining magic drain. The drain on his energy seemed to continue on. With the sudden queasiness, Ninetales knew that he had expended too much energy. Ninetales started convulsing, and we ran over to try and help him.

As the fit ended, Ninetales began coughing violently, and began to bleed from his mouth. "I went too far, but I knew that this might happen before I began. There is nothing you can do for me now. My life force itself has been spent."

Opal took a quick examination, and lowered her head in defeat. "Your body is falling apart from the inside. Even with my best equipment, I would have very little chance to save you."

Draconis seemed to have an idea. "Wait, Ben, don't you still have that special water the Swampert clan gave to you?"

I dug deep into the toolbox, retrieving the sacred water. I also found the lava fern that was given to Draconis, safely stored in the depths of the toolbox. I began to unstop the top of the vial, but Ninetales shook his head. "I'm afraid that won't help me. It can't restore what I've expended. Save it for someone else."

"What should we do then?" Draconis demanded.

Ninetales seemed to be growing more distant. "You should fight on and build a better future for both worlds."

My fury was renewed. "Yes, I'll kill Nerezzik for all that he has caused!"

I handed Draconis the lava fern, and put the lid back on the vial of healing water. The eyes of Ninetales seemed to be glossed over now, not seeing this world any longer. "Farewell, friends," Ninetales whispered. "I'm glad to have known you. Now, I must move on. Lenore, my wife, I shall see you again after all these years."

With that final statement, Ninetales laid his head down and passed on. We shed a few tears in memory of all he had done. Whether it was helping clear us when we were blamed by Gengar long ago, or his exploits on our current journey, Ninetales had always been helpful and wise. And now, he was another casualty, another death, caused by Nerezzik. We only had Deoxys and Nerezzik left, so my time for retribution was close.

"So, shall we pause for a funeral?" Nerezzik mocked.

I turned around and glared at him. "I'll kill you soon enough."

Nerezzik sent Deoxys out to the field of battle. "You'll have to beat my final guard first. Go, Deoxys!"

Deoxys stood ready, but who would we send out?

Absol jumped out to the field of battle. "I'll fight this one. I never got my chance to fight him before, but now nothing will get in my way."

Absol led off with a double team, creating illusionary copies of him around Deoxys. Deoxys began blasting energy from the crystal in the center of its body, trying to hit the real Absol. Absol unleashed a razor wind from behind Deoxys, and to everyone's surprise, the attack cut off the arm of Deoxys. The fallen arm disintegrated, but Deoxys formed a new one almost immediately as it turned to face the real Absol.

Absol backed up. "Oh, great. You can regenerate body parts? Guess I'll just have to cut off something even more vital next time."

Deoxys charged Absol, and hit him with a fierce backhand that sent him flying backwards. Absol twisted so he landed on his feet and sprung forward into a slash attack. Absol's sharp claws hit their mark, slicing through the neck of Deoxys. As with the arm, the fallen part disintegrated while a new one replaced it.

"I guess two heads are better than one, but I'm not through yet," Absol stated.

Absol rushed Deoxys again, but this time Deoxys shot a hyper beam out of the crystal in the center of its chest. The attack hit Absol directly, and he landed on his back in the distant grass. He tried to get up, shaking unsteadily as he did. He tried several times, but soon he blacked out.

As Opal ran to check on Absol, Draconis flew out to face Deoxys. In his hand he held the lava fern. "I guess I'll use this now. It is the final battle."

Draconis ate the Fern, which had a bitter taste. As he swallowed it, he began to feel the heat inside him grow more intense. Suddenly, the flame on his tail grew to twice its size. Draconis let out a roar and unleashed a massive flamethrower at Deoxys. Deoxys tried to move out of the way, but the flames incinerated an arm and a leg. These reformed, but as they did Draconis unleashed a fire blast. Deoxys cut through the attack with its psycho boost. Enveloped in psychic energy, Deoxys continued forward and hit into Draconis, who was sent flying into the air.

Draconis stopped himself by spreading his wings, and inhaled deeply. He swooped down as he held in his attack, building up power. Right above Deoxys, he unleashed a massive heat wave attack. The superheated air burned the grass away immediately and in the intense heat, the ground began to melt. Deoxys held out for a short time, but soon its entire body was burned away, except for the round central crystal.

Draconis had done his part, but the after-effects of the lava fern began. His power went down to far below his previous level, and he flew back to our group. As he landed on the ground, he collapsed in exhaustion.

I looked down at my sleeping friend, but then looked at Nerezzik. Only me and Aureolus were left in any condition to fight, and the others all were injured, unconscious, or both. I handed Opal the sacred water. "Here take this. It can heal any injuries. I'm going to fight Nerezzik now."

Aureolus stopped me before I walked out to face Nerezzik. "Are you sure you are ready to face him? Even, I, with my powers that are strong against him, have not been able to defeat him in single battle."

I walked around Aureolus's outstretched wing that had been blocking me. "I'll never have peace until Nerezzik is dead. I have to fight this battle for myself and for those I loved."

Even with all his forces gone, Nerezzik still had an eerie confidence. "So, do you want to die? I once said I'd kill you, and now I will be able to make good on that. I see you want to kill me as well, so looks like one of us won't walk away. Even without my armies, I'm still the strongest pokemon."

I took my stance to begin the battle. "We'll see about that."


	34. Chapter 33: To Challenge Nerezzik

Chapter 33: To Challenge Nerezzik

I unleashed a massive hydro pump at Nerezzik. He dug his feet into the ground and withstood the attack. He countered with a bolt of darkness. I held out my arm and blocked the attack with it, feeling a slight numbing as I did. For my next move, I decided to take the battle to close range. I rushed in and unleashed a wave of mud on Nerezzik. He jumped to his feet and cleared the mud away with his psychic powers. He then turned these powers on me, throwing me into the air.

I landed with some slight pain, and continued by using my take down. I rammed Nerezzik at full speed, knocking him to the ground. It was time to end this, so I pinned Nerezzik to the ground, and started to unleash my water attacks in the attempt to drown him. After the second hydro pump, he started moving. He broke from my grasp, and executed an upwards kick, slicing my entire body with his sharp claws. He then flicked his tail at me, catching me with the sharp red crystals. The crystals cut into many places across my arms, but I managed to knock Nerezzik away with a mud shot.

My blood mixed with the water soaking the ground. I had taken some bad injuries, but I would fight on. I used an Earthquake next, and Nerezzik was knocked over. The wet and muddy ground made it difficult for him to get up, so I hit him with a hydro pump. He raised himself and used his psychic powers to drain away the water. He rushed forwards, and I used another mud shot to stop him. He swatted the mud-shot away, receiving almost no damage from it. He continued forward and hit me with a powerful slash, slicing my side. I grabbed Nerezzik by the legs and threw him as hard as I could to the ground. He seemed a bit shaken now, but unleashed a wave of darkness upon me. The world seemed to darken and my senses dulled as I was hit.

Nerezzik continued with another flick of his tail. This time the sharp crystals tore open my back. My whole body seemed to be burning with pain, but I still had a little strength left. I unleashed a hydro pump which interrupted Nerezzik, and then charged him with endeavor. I scored a massive punch straight to Nerezzik's chest, which sent him sprawling to the ground. I used another earthquake, jarring the fallen Nerezzik.

Nerezzik used his incredible stamina to jump high into the air after my attacks. He now fell towards me, charging up all his energy into his right hand. As he fell towards where I was standing, he unleashed his new attack. He hit me in the chest with the large crystal in the center of his palm. The crystal pierced deeply and the dark and psychic energy Nerezzik had been charging exploded into me. The last thing I could remember was flying backwards as the pain overcame me.

Opal ran to my fallen body. Blood pooled beneath me from the many cuts and slashes Nerezzik had given me. She began to undo the lid from the vial of sacred water, but soon found an energy holding her back. In the distance, Nerezzik held out his arm, channeling his psychic powers to stop Opal.

Aureolus launched herself to the air and started flying towards Nerezzik. "I'm fighting you next, so leave her out of this!" she demanded.

Nerezzik just gazed indifferently. "I can't have her reviving my foes, so I'll stop her first."

Suddenly, Nerezzik was hit from behind by a powerful shadow ball. He turned to see that Mewtwo had returned. "So, Mewtwo, are you going to try to face me?"

Mewtwo landed with anger burning in his eyes. "I told you to leave Opal alone, but now I'll have to defeat you since you did not heed my warning."

Nerezzik and Mewtwo charged their energy for the upcoming battle. "I'm the strongest, and I'll show it to all of you," Nerezzik announced. "Once I'm done I'll rule both worlds through strength."

Mewtwo was tired of listening to Nerezzik and had unleashed his first attack. Mewtwo tried unleashing a psychic attack on Nerezzik, but found his energy would not hold his opponent.

Nerezzik flashed an evil grin. "Such attacks are useless against me. You'll be easy."

Nerezzik then shot a beam of darkness from his hand. Mewtwo felt the energy darkness interrupting his concentration, but after a short while it cleared away. He concentrated hard and lifted a large boulder that had been buried in the ground. Mewtwo flung this at Nerezzik, who dodged to the side. Mewtwo called forth another boulder and now he threw both at Nerezzik. One of the boulders hit Nerezzik, and he was blocked from Mewtwo's sight by the large rock. Mewtwo released the rock and it fell to the ground, but as it did, Nerezzik jumped on the top of it. Nerezzik jumped onto the next rock that was floating in the air, and then propelled himself towards Mewtwo.

Mewtwo shot a blast of lightning at Nerezzik, but his momentum carried him forwards towards Mewtwo. Nerezzik reached Mewtwo and sliced his chest with his claws. Mewtwo floated upwards and healed the injury, and started unleashing shadow balls at Nerezzik. Nerezzik dodged the first one, but Mewtwo continued launching attack after attack. Nerezzik soon was hit by several shadow balls and was knocked to the ground. Mewtwo charged up his energy and unleashed a massive blast of lightning on Nerezzik.

The bolt of lightning struck Nerezzik. He now had some electrical burns from such an attack, and he could smell his own charred flesh. Nerezzik shot his own shadow ball at Mewtwo, and used this distraction to start running towards Mewtwo. Mewtwo tried another barrage of shadow balls, but Nerezzik dodged from side to side to avoid each one. Soon, he was right under where Mewtwo floated, and jumped upwards. Nerezzik held his arm back and charged energy into the crystal on his palm.

Mewtwo shot one last shadow ball at Nerezzik. The attack exploded against Nerezzik, but he kept moving upwards through the blast. Nerezzik flew straight to Mewtwo and hit him with the same attack that had defeated me. The large red crystal pierced Mewtwo's chest, and dark energy began to surge into him. Nerezzik fell, but Mewtwo was right below him, taking the full effects of his attack. Right before they hit the ground, Nerezzik pulled the sharp crystal out of Mewtwo, and then they both slammed into the ground, kicking up a wave of dust. As the dust cleared, Nerezzik stood over his defeated foe. He was breathing heavily after his latest attack, but he still had much more endurance left.

As Mewtwo and Nerezzik fought, Opal had given me the sacred water. The wounds closed and I now slept as I was restored both inside and out. Opal moved me away from the bloody grass and wiped off the remaining blood from my skin. She then placed me to rest next to the others that were still unconscious from their battles. She paused to watch the battle, but gasped as Mewtwo was defeated.

She rushed out to help the fallen Mewtwo, while Aureolus flew out to face Nerezzik.

Nerezzik took his stance once again. "So, Aureolus, looks like we fight again. Last time we fought, we were evenly matched, but I believe that has changed. I've grown stronger over time and you've grown feeble."

Aureolus launched herself to the skies. "The darkness can never overcome the light. I will not let you win. The worlds will always have light and hope to fend off whatever darkness threatens them."

The yellow lines on Aureolus began to shine brilliantly as she unleashed her first attack. The crystals around her gathered the light that shone from her and then shot many beams into the sky. Nerezzik ran forwards to attack, but just as he jumped up, he was smashed into the ground by a massive pillar of light from the sky. Just as Nerezzik finished getting up, he was knocked down by another beam of light from the heavens. He curled up against the several more attack he knew would be coming, and was hit by three more. The light seemed to cause a strange burning whenever it hit Nerezzik, and the agony was almost unbearable.

Aureolus swooped down on the crouching Nerezzik and her fierce talons raked across his back. Nerezzik quickly jumped towards Aureolus as she flew away. As he went past her, Nerezzik flipped in the air, hitting the wing of Aureolus with his tail's sharp crystals. The injuries were severe enough to disable the wing, so Aureolus glided to the ground. Red now stained the soft white feathers of her wing, but Nerezzik was bleeding more. Aureolus stretched forth her other wing, and the crystals around her began flashing. Suddenly, thousands of tiny needles of light began to hit Nerezzik from all directions, and the pain was unbearable.

Slowly the attack ended, and Nerezzik made another run at Aureolus, desperate to end the battle. As he dived to attack her, she lifted one of her feet to stop him. The sharp edges of her talons sliced Nerezzik diagonally across his belly and torso, but his speed carried him forward. With a clawed hand he grasped the neck of his most hated enemy. His hatred gave him strength and he crushed the windpipe of Aureolus. She coughed and gasped for air, but soon slumped to the ground.

The sacred water had healed me completely by then, and I rose to see the fatal exchange of blows between Aureolus and Nerezzik. Aureolus lay unmoving, but Nerezzik lay clutching his bleeding wound. I ran out and Nerezzik still was holding on, but his life was slowly bleeding out of him.

He glanced at me as he heard my approach. "It seems like you all have beaten me. I do not regret my choices. I only regret my beginning. So, what are you going to do to me now? I'm almost dead as it is."

I prepared for a final blow. "Nerezzik, you did not suffer enough, but I want the pleasure of killing you. If only I had been able to kill you earlier." I brought my arm down upon his neck, breaking it. Nerezzik was no more. I had finally avenged my family, Ninetales, and even Aureolus, who had all been victims in this terrible war. With the end of Nerezzik came the end of our conflict. Each person involved had changed, so what would we do now that it was all over?


	35. Chapter 34: Towards the Future

Chapter 34: Towards the Future

With Nerezzik gone, we had saved the world. The hostages were freed, and since they were all important members of the world government, they set about preparing for ceremonies both to honor the dead and to celebrate victory. The celebrations were going to be held at Obsidian.

A few days later, the day of the ceremonies arrived. Draconis, Charmandra, Wave, Absol, Eridel, Mewtwo and I had fully recovered, but Lucario now had his arm in a sling. Latias and Latios both had many bandages, but had been playing joyfully with one another. Both Ninetales and Aureolus were going to be given a funeral during the ceremonies.

A few hours before the ceremonies, I was sitting in the room given for me to stay in. Eridel entered. "The ceremonies are going to begin soon," he began. "If you want I could get you some nice clothes for the event."

I had remained a Swampert, and just gave Eridel an uncaring look. "Don't bother. I won't be needing them. I'm going like this."

"But I'm sure everyone would like it more if you went as a human."

"No, I'm going to be giving up my life as a human. There's nothing left for me in this world but pain and emptiness. I'm going to go stay as a pokemon with my friends."

Eridel decided not to argue, so he went to help prepare the others for the event. A few hours later we headed out. After a short walk we arrived at the place for the ceremonies. A large lawn near the main government buildings had been set up with chairs for the audience and a stage and podium. Even though it was early, most of the chairs for the audience were full. The people cheered as they saw us. We were their heroes and champions, but the cheering seemed empty to me. We took our places on the stage, and soon the ceremonies began.

Some leaders of the government gave a few words, and then Eridel was up for his speech. He told the long tale of our journeys and the many brave deeds we had done. The most memorable phrases were "We must strive to live in peace and harmony with both worlds" and "We must never forget the pain or sacrifices needed to stop this." He concluded his speech and the funeral for Ninetales and Aureolus began. We helped carry the caskets and placed them inside their graves. Both had lived for hundreds or even thousands of years, and it seemed like neither left with any regrets.

After some time the funeral ended and later the victory celebrations began. There was a large feast for us, but I left after having my fill. There were other activities, but I just wanted time to rest and be alone for the moment. I could tell many of the others felt the same way, so we returned to the rooms provided for us.

After a while, Eridel came, looking a little frustrated. "So this is where you all are!" he greeted. "They have been missing you down at the festivities. Only Opal and I have been there, and we wondered where you all were. Why don't you come watch the fireworks they'll be setting off soon?"

Eridel led us to the grassy lawns where Opal was waiting for us. The sun sunk below the horizon quickly and the fireworks began. Draconis and Charmandra sat together, hand in hand.

"With this behind us, we're free to choose our own path," Draconis quietly whispered to Charmandra. "I've been thinking a lot about this over the past few days, and I have one question. Charmandra, would you like to walk together with me on the path that leads towards the future?"

Charmandra wrapped her arms around Draconis. "Of course I would! I've been waiting for you to ask me something like that for so long."

The two snuggled closer together and continued watching the fireworks. Opal, Eridel, Lucario, Mewtwo, and Absol all sat together, enjoying the show.

"There is a lot of rebuilding to do, so we're going to be busy," Opal stated.

"If Exaccus is continued, I'll probably be the next leader," Eridel added. "At least we won't have to be so secretive, now that the public knows about us. We'll rebuild Exaccus with a new goal. We'll strive to bring together humans and pokemon."

Lucario shifted his broken arm slightly. "A worthy goal. We'll be returning to the our world, but perhaps you and I can work together. Together, pokemon and humans can do far more than they could alone. I'll try to work towards the same goal, but on my own world."

Absol opened his eyes and yawned. "I'm not sure what I'll do next. Maybe return to the mountains and get some peace, quiet, and rest. All this adventuring has been fun, but it's starting to wear me out."

Mewtwo decided to let his plans be known. "I'm going to go live with the other pokemon. It will be better than being the only pokemon around here."

Watching the others, I sat a little ways off alone. Wave came up and looked at the fireworks for a second. "Now that this is over, what are you going to do, Ben?"

"I'm going to live as a Swampert. Everything that was important to me as a human is gone, but everything important to me as a pokemon still exists."

"Am I part of the 'everything important' to you?"

"Yes, over our travels, I've come to enjoy your company. Draconis is also a very dear friend to me."

"There will always be room for you to swim beside me."

"I do realize your feelings, Wave. Perhaps one day I may join you in the swamp or elsewhere, but for now there are a few more things I have to figure out."

"I'll wait for the day you decide."

The finale of the fireworks boomed in the sky. The showers of multicolored sparks and flames lit up the sky. Everything seemed to be going back to normal, and I felt a little happiness for the first time in a few days.

With the next day, we set out to the portal. The others all went through, but Eridel pulled me aside before I went.

"Ben, I want to make you a member of Exaccus," he stated. "You'll be the coordinator of any of our members we send through in the future. We will only send a few, and we'll be rebuilding for some time, so it won't interfere with whatever you decide to do as a pokemon."

"I'm thankful for the invitation. I'll accept the position. Who knows? Maybe I'll need some things from you as well."

I went through the portal and caught up with the others. Eridel and Opal faded as we returned to Geonne.

Five years passed quickly.

Over the years, Pokemon Square had been rebuilt, almost looking the same as before. There were many more pokemon there now, so I had taken many and built a new town where buried relic once stood. I called in a favor to Eridel and had him supply me with materials to build a large academy where the portal was. This academy was named Relic Academy, and I worked hard to gather and store the stories and knowledge of the pokemon there.

Wave had joined me on my travels across the world to gather knowledge, and along the way our feelings for each other grew stronger. Eventually we stopped traveling and stayed at the academy to teach others after making one last trip to the swamp for the unity ritual that two pokemon take part in when they want to be together forever. The academy became a place where both pokemon and humans could learn about one another, but Wave and I also built a home nearby for our family. Draconis and Charmandra also decided to live in our town, which was also known as Relic Academy.

One day, Eridel sent a message with one of the few human scientists that were at the academy. It was a request to have a reunion of all the members of our group. I sent the reply that we could meet at my academy, since it had plenty of room. I spread the message to Draconis and Charmandra in one of my frequent visits. Lucario was also easy to reach, since he had joined the academy as one of the teachers. For the others, I sent a message through the small local branch of the Pelipper post office. Latias and Latios had come to our world, and traveled the world. Absol had went to live in the mountains again, going back to the solitude he had once had. Mewtwo had gone off, but I did not know where.

After a few weeks the day for the reunion arrived. Draconis and I had bought food and helped set one of the large rooms up for the event. Charmandra arrived, with the three Charmanders that were hers and Draconis's children. Wave came next, bringing along our son. Mudkip joined the Charmanders and they all began to play in the large room. Lucario adjourned his lesson early and came to join us as well. Soon, Eridel and Opal arrived through the portal. Eridel had on a much nicer uniform, looking every part the leader of Exaccus. Opal wore a long white lab coat, black shirt, and blue jeans giving her a much more casual appearance than her brother. Latias and Latios landed shortly later. We started talking about old times, and some time later Absol entered, but also brought another Absol along with him.

"Sorry I'm late, the journey was quite long," Absol began. "I knew you wouldn't start all the fun without me. I'd like you all to meet my wife. We just went through the unity ritual only a few weeks ago. With all these children, it's obvious that some of you have already gone through it as well."

Draconis smiled. "Charmandra and I went through it right after getting back here. Our little Charmanders sure keep us busy."

"I also have a family now, although Exaccus keeps me away from them at times," Eridel added.

"I'm married now as well," Opal replied. "I only see Eridel during work now, but sometimes its hard to even stand him that long."

Lucario seemed a little uncomfortable. "Maybe I'll take a break from teaching and go find someone special of my own. It's starting to be a bit lonely by myself."

Latias glided over. "We've found a few others of our kind in our travels, and there have been a few Latios I liked. Hey, brother, what happened with you and that Latias we met a few weeks ago?"

Latios seemed a little distant as he thought about the beautiful Latias they had met recently. "I've met with her a few times, and we are getting to know each other pretty well."

Latios had tried to hide his meetings with the other Latias from his sister, but since they were always together, it was impossible. At least she would give them some time together, while she went and did other things.

Mewtwo finally arrived, and Mew came along with him. "I just got the letter. It took Pelipper a long time to get to Western Cave, where I am staying now. I also have brought along Mew. She found me when she followed my energy after noticing how similar it was to hers. We've been together some time now. She had proved to be very helpful and caring."

Mew spoke with a quiet but calming voice. "I'm sorry for the trouble I cause you all in the past when Nerezzik had me. At least that is behind us now. This is the fifth year celebration of his defeat isn't it?"

"Indeed it is," I said. "If it isn't obvious enough, Wave and I have been together for a few years now. We also were together before that, traveling the land. Now let's get this reunion started."

We passed hours talking about the old times and what had happened since then. It was great to remember all that we had fought for and done to bring the world to the way it was now. And now, it would be up to us to help the memories and lessons of our stories live on in the future generations.

A final note:

I do not own the franchises of pokemon or any other games alluded to in this story, although I enjoy playing them.


End file.
